Ticket price matched to subsidise own fans
LONDON: Liverpool has taken a cue from Manchester United and hiked prices for away supporters when it hosts Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals to subsidise tickets for its own fans travelling to the Nou Camp, the Premier League club has said.
Manchester United had hiked prices for its quarterfinal tie with Barcelona when the Spanish club charged £102 ($NZ198), which British media reported was the most expensive ticket to a United game apart from a final.
Liverpool has been allocated 4620 away tickets priced at ¤119 ($NZ200) each for the first leg in Spain on May 1.
In response, the Merseyside club raised its ticket prices for Barcelona supporters travelling to Anfield to the same amount and will use the extra revenue to ensure Liverpool fans pay only ¤88 for the first leg.
Liverpool made the semifinals after a resurgent Mohamed Salah scored one and set up another to inspire the Reds to a 41 away win at Porto in their quarterfinal second leg.
Liverpool, which eased through 61 on aggregate, held off Porto in Thursday’s early stages before Salah and Sadio Mane combined for the Senegalese to put them ahead with their first shot on target.
Egyptian striker Salah doubled the tally after the break and goals from Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk wrapped it up.
Tottenham Hotspur, which beat Manchester City in the first leg 10 and progressed after the tie finished 44 on aggregate, will play Ajax Amsterdam for a place in the final against Liverpool or Barcelona after one of the most remarkable matches in the competition’s history.
It started in manic fashion with four goals in the opening 11 minutes of the game. It was a gripping spectacle right up until the dramatic finale, when City had a stoppagetime goal from Raheem Sterling, which would have sent it through, ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
City fans had celebrated what looked like the goal that would send the side into the last four before the replay confirmed Sergio Aguero was offside in the buildup.
It was a perfect example of the benefits of using technology but it was also hard on Pep Guardiola’s side, which had been the stronger over the 90 minutes.
‘‘It is cruel but it is what it is and we have to accept it,’’ said Guardiola, whose dream of winning four titles this season is now over.
His counterpart, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, who was without his top scorer Harry Kane, said his team had shown its character.
‘‘My players are heroes. We made history,’’ said the Argentine, whose team has reached the last four for the first time since the creation of the Champions League and since its 1962 appearance in the semifinals of the European Cup.
Tottenham will play the first leg against Ajax without Son Heungmin, Kane’s understudy who scored the valuable firstleg goal last week. Son scored Tottenham’s first two goals at Etihad Stadium, then picked up a booking for a foul on Kevin De Bruyne that earned him a onegame suspension for yellow card accumulation. — Reuters