Roman heroes
Liverpool survive late scare to reach final in Kiev Klopp: We must now go on and beat Real Madrid
The clock ticked slowly, the time almost suspended. In the Eternal City, it was an incredible, nerveshredded, almost eternal occasion, but Liverpool have what they will believe is their hour of destiny: they are in the Champions League final where they will face Real Madrid.
These two grand clubs are imbued with such rich European history that it is a final to savour, and not least because both glory in attack, rather than defence.
Jurgen Klopp’s full-throttle football will be taking on the self-proclaimed, revved-up kings of this competition, hoping to deny them a third successive Champions League trophy.
Long after the end here, with the large wedge of 5,000 Liverpool fans held back for their own safety, the players broke through the ranks of officials to celebrate with them. Captain Jordan Henderson asked for a banner dedicated to Sean Cox, the Anfield supporter who remains in a coma after being so viciously attacked, to be handed over so they could unfurl it. After that, Mohamed Salah emerged on his own with the fans singing their song about their Egyptian king.
Salah did not score in this match, but it felt like everyone else did. Such is the high-wire nature of Liverpool’s football that Roma, unbelievably, eventually fell just one goal short of forcing extra time – something no one envisaged, surely – and turning around the emphatic score from the first leg.
At the final whistle, the Liverpool players slumped to the turf, spent, emotionally and physically, as Klopp sprinted on in celebration. “It sounds crazy because it is crazy,” the manager said of the scoreline, the feelings, the scene, and coming through from a Champions League play-off to the final.
Ultimately, it was a pyrrhic victory for the Romans but even with just a couple of minutes to go it was unbearably tense. It could have been even worse had Roma been awarded another penalty that they should have got (maybe they could have had two more?) soon after scoring their second goal, when Trent Alexander-arnold handled.
After the celebrations Klopp will have to dwell on his team’s sloppy defending and not least how Roma – through Stephan El Shaarawy – mercilessly attacked 19-year-old Alexander-arnold. There’s no doubt Cristiano Ronaldo and Co will have taken note, although Virgil Van Dijk and Andrew Robertson were both excellent.
It meant this semi-final accrued 13 goals – the most ever in a match at this stage of the competition – while, gloriously, Liverpool have scored 46 goals in this wonderful campaign, more than any team ever.
And, at the end of it all, Liverpool reached their first Champions League final in 11 years, and their eighth in all, and are the first Premier League side to contest the final since Chelsea in 2012.
They deserve to be in Kiev on May 26 for what will be a re-run of the 1981 final. Liverpool won that in Paris and, as then, will not fear Real. Do not expect another 1-0 though.
This semi-final brought Liverpool back to the stadium where they won the European Cup for the fourth time in eight years, in 1984, and against the club they beat that day, on Bruce Grobbelaar’s spaghetti legs penalties, in Roma.
Liverpool also won their first European Cup here, in 1977, and while respectful of the past Klopp had urged his players not to dwell on it. Yet his declaration that “no one remembers losers” would have proved spectacularly wrong if they had blown it.
They were never going to dwell on the statistic that Roma went into this match having not conceded a goal at home in the Champions League all season and not, in fact, since February 2016. That proud record went in nine minutes as Liverpool scored a trademark goal of counter-attacking purpose, precision and coolness.
It also stemmed from an error by Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan, who inexplicably played a pass infield straight to Roberto Firmino who snaffled it up, strode forward and picked out Sadio Mane as he peeled away to his left and was
afforded the space to steer his shot beyond home goalkeeper Allison.
So, was this tie already over? Soon there was another Liverpool player on the scoresheet. Just as it seemed hope had already gone for Roma they profited from an own goal. It seemed innocuous enough when El Shaarawy headed back a deep cross, with Dejan Lovren hoisting his clearance – only for the ball to smash into James Milner’s head and rebound into the net.
It was cruel luck for Liverpool and re-fired Italian belief, driving up the decibels and the desperation. That belief stemmed from the quarter-final comeback when they were 4-1 down to Barcelona and won 3-0 through what coach Eusebio Di Francesco called a “miracle”.
Did Liverpool need some divine intervention? Well, they got it. They scored another goal and the inadvertent involvement was that of Edin Dzeko who tried to head a corner clear under pressure from Van Dijk but sent it back towards his own goal where Georginio Wijnaldum stole forward to nod home and restore Liverpool’s lead and extend their advantage. It was Wijnaldum’s first away from home for Liverpool. Good timing.
Roma had to push on and did so with El Shaarawy cutting inside and shooting, with his deflected effort smacking off a post.
Then there was controversy. Firstly, Dzeko was brought down by Loris Karius, who could have been red-carded, but instead of a penalty Dzeko was flagged offside. It was an extremely tight call.
Minutes later El Shaarawy’s close-range shot was blocked by Alexander-arnold with an outstretched arm. But still no penalty was given.
Before that, Roma had drawn level when danger man El Shaarawy cut inside and forced Karius to push out a curling shot, with the rebound dropping to Dzeko, who drove it smartly back across the goalkeeper. The clock ticked. Slowly.
Karius was beaten again when the ball was squared to Nainggolan, outside the area and he drove a superb shot in off the post.
Liverpool nerves were stretched to breaking and, in injury time, substitute Ragnar Klavan was punished for handball as he cut out a crosscum-shot. Nainggolan powered home the penalty.
Surely Roma could not do it? Finally, though, time did run out. It was the last kick.