THE SCUFF OF NIGHTMARES
Miskick by Adrian hits Liverpool in extra-time meltdown
And suddenly, all was chaos. diego Simeone went sprinting towards Atletico’s joyous fans, while keeper Jan Oblak was running full pelt in the opposite direction, the length of the pitch, to join his celebrating team-mates.
It was over. The records, the dream of a triumphant return to Istanbul in May. Atletico had scored, again. Liverpool were not coming back from this.
As England’s most successful club in European competition, they should at least appreciate what befell them here; an old-fashioned away-goal smash and grab. Liverpool thought they had the tie won in extra-time when Roberto Firmino scored his first at Anfield since April 9, 2019, against Porto, to establish a 2-1 aggregate lead.
Yet from there the game got away from them as time slipped remorselessly by. With every Atletico goal, Liverpool’s task grew exponentially.
First they needed to score one more in 23 minutes, then two in 15 minutes, then three with just a minute left. And Madrid know how to defend a lead like that. The moment substitute Marcos Llorente put them ahead on aggregate, Liverpool looked done.
Ultimately, Madrid scored three in 23 extra-time minutes, as the European champions reeled.
Records fell, too. This is Liverpool’s first Anfield defeat this season, the first here for Jurgen Klopp in Europe and brings to an end a run of 43 home matches without defeat. More remarkably, it is the first time Liverpool have been eliminated over two legs in the Champions League since falling to Chelsea at the quarterfinal stage in 2009.
There are a few grounds that claim to be fortresses. For Liverpool in Europe, that description of
Anfield is no empty boast.
Yet Madrid are no ordinary opponents. They resisted enormouss pressure. It wasas said Liverpool wouldould need to matchh the intensity of their win over Barcelona to progress here, and for the most part they did. Atletico survived 34 attempts on goal, including eight saves by Oblak who was wonderful.
They won having enjoyed less than 30 per cent of possession. This was the first time four goals had been scored in extra time of a Champions League tie — and that three of them went to the away team was an incredible feat.
It was a goal from Georginio Wijnaldum that sent the game into overtime. A minute before halftime a lovely, fluid Liverpool move involving Andy Robertson, Virgil van dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain whip the ball on to Wijnaldum’s head. He steered it home perfectly.
The second half became Oblak’s one-man show. He may well be the best goalkeeper in the world right now. Saves from OOxlade- Chamberlain, bChamberlain, from FiFirmino, from AleAlexander-Arnold, kept Atletico in the game, and when Oblak could not come to the rescue, the apparatus did. Robertson hit the bar with a header after Salah had a shot deflected. At the other end, Adrian made his first real save of the night from Joao Felix, although it wasn’t convincing and he needed to recover well to stop Angel Correa gobbling up the extras.
That was the first portent. Atletico then thought they had won the game with the last touch of the 90 minutes, but Saul niguez was offside for his header. That was the second. This was still a dangerous side.
So it proved. Firmino headed a Wijnaldum cross against a post, then was first to the rebound to volley it home. Liverpool were leading 2-1 on aggregate and going through — for all of 167 seconds.
Unavoidably, Adrian played a huge part in the downfall. It is not right to say Liverpool would have won with Alisson in goal because Atletico Madrid are very, very good at what they do. But they might have won had Adrian not kicked the ball straight to Madrid’s most dangerous player, Joao Felix, in the 97th minute.
He played in Llorente, whose family are Real Madrid royalty. His uncle, Francisco Gento, holds the record for European Cup wins as a player, with six, to go with 12 Spanish titles. now his nephew has his own sliver of history — starting with the shot that found out Adrian, the goalkeeper struggling to recover and well beaten.
Still, Liverpool only needed to score again — then the roof fell in. They were desperately seeking the winner, so much so that when Atletico countered Liverpool’s resistance was cursory. They had reckoned without Llorente.
He ripped past Jordan Henderson and struck a low shot across Adrian. now Atletico were drawing on the night and Liverpool needed two. They were never likely to get them. Alvaro Morata put them out of their misery with a goal in stoppage time, finishing a neat one-two with a shot that defeated Adrian at his near post. He really had a poor night.
After, Klopp was disparaging about Madrid, as those who lose to them often are. Yet there is a reason that so many films get made about the Joker, or that Iago is Shakespeare’s most compelling character, despite not having the play named after him. Everyone is fascinated by a villain. And Madrid are great villains. Practitioners of the dark arts but with a brain, too — like all the best bad guys.
It is almost a pleasure to watch them, so brazen is their knavery. diego Costa getting a decision against him, pausing as if to give the ball back to Adrian, sucking Liverpool’s goalkeeper into coming near him and then throwing it to take, what, five seconds out of the game? You don’t see that stuff so much these days.
nor the pantomime that played out when referee danny Makkelie went over to remonstrate. Suddenly, Costa was the picture of apologetic, injured innocence. We all saw his shtick but under Simeone it has taken on greater depth.
Klopp went for the post-corona elbow bump with Simeone before the match, and one almost
expected him to fall to the floor clutching his face in an attempt to get Liverpool’s manager sent off.
When Alexander-Arnold committed a foul just outside Madrid’s area, five black shirts plus keeper Oblak surrounded him in an effort to get any censure an upgrade. Later, when Henderson did look to have fouled Correa, there were five shirts on Makkelie’s case again.
If every team played like this it would be tiresome, but Atletico are uniquely Machiavellian when the best coaches wish to be liked for the beauty of their football. There is room for one touchline Voldemort. And just when the audience grows weary, Simeone’s team prove they can play, too.
This was a rearguard action, 11 men packed into a depth of 30 yards when Liverpool attacked. Yet on the counter and from set pieces Madrid were dangerous and could have scored twice before half-time with better finishing.
In many ways, they are to football’s benefit. European titles have greater validity because someone, somewhere, has to beat Atletico Madrid. Liverpool could not, either home or away. And Liverpool are an exceptionally good side.