The second leg of the Champions League has passed. The finalists have finally been decided, so let’s see who’s made it this year and will be heading to France.
The first game to have happened was Villareal vs Liverpool, and this was the very definition of a tale of two halves. Villareal was 2-0 up, via Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin, heading into the second half and looked to have possibly made the impossible possible by beating Liverpool.
But whatever Jurgen Klopp said to his Liverpool squad made them switch on because after he introduced Luis Diaz at the start of the half, it was off to the races for Liverpool. Three goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz, and Sadio Mane gave Liverpool the win on the night of the two legs.
Admittedly if it wasn’t for the Villareal goalkeeper, Geronimo Rulli, trying to impersonate Loris Karius, Villareal may have had a chance to go through. Rulli had the first goal go through his legs from a shot from Fabinho, which is a cardinal sin for a goalkeeper to commit. Rulli also went too far to attempt to clear the ball, giving Sadio Mane the third goal of the night.
The second game showed why it’s important to wait until the final whistle before celebrating. Real Madrid and Manchester City had a dull affair in the first half of the match, but things didn’t heat up until the second half of the match. Riyah Mahrez opened the scoring at the 73rd minute. With only 15 minutes left in the match and two goals ahead, it all seemed that Manchester City would begin going through but Real Madrid and Rodrygo would change fate.
Rodrygo would score two goals in the 90th minute of the match to force the game into extra time. Then in extra time, Ruben Dias gave Real a penalty which Karim Benzema converted, sealing Man City’s fate.
The night was also filled with plenty of controversy, however, as people believe Casemiro should have been sent off as the player committed two yellow card offences in the first half but didn’t get anything from those offenses. But Pep Guardiola should be concerned that he still hasn’t been able to lift the Champions League since leaving Barcelona, as he is considered one of the best minds in Football but hasn’t won one of the most prestigious competitions in over a decade.
So, the final is going to be Liverpool against Real Madrid, and it could become a rematch of the 2018 final that saw Real Madrid lift the trophy. But Liverpool isn’t the same squad they faced back then. An interesting fact to consider is that Real Madrid has already won the Spanish league, so they can rest more players leading into the final. Liverpool is still trying to chase Manchester City to the premier league so they can’t have the same luxury, and they are more likely to have a major player injured during that time.
