Liverpool have beaten Barcelona 4-0 to overturn a three-goal deficit and reach the Champions League final 4-3 on aggregate.
Liverpool delivered the greatest in a long line of famous comebacks to reach the Champions League final on Tuesday, beating Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg.
Divock Origi scored twice, either side of goals by half-time substitute Georginio Wijnaldum early in the second half, to send Liverpool into their second straight final and set up a meeting with either Ajax or Tottenham on June 1.
It was only the third time in the history of the European Cup that a team came from three goals down after the first leg of a semi-final and progressed to the final, after Panathinaikos in 1970-71 and Barcelona in 1985-86. No team has done it in the Champions League era.
The comeback was all the more unlikely given Liverpool were without two of their first-choice strikers, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
Instead, it was Origi – the scorer of the crucial fourth goal in the 79th minute – who made the seemingly impossible, possible. And it needed some remarkable ingenuity from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who pretended to walk away from taking a corner before quickly spinning round and sending in a low cross as Barcelona’s players dawdled. Origi swept in the finish.
Given the opposition, a team featuring arguably the greatest ever soccer player in Lionel Messi, this will likely rank as Liverpool’s greatest European performance, rivalling the comeback from three goals down against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final.
For Barcelona, it was the second year in a row that they let a three-goal lead slip, having beaten Roma 4-1 at home in the quarter-finals in 2018 before losing the return leg 3-0 to go out.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp had delivered a stirring speech on the eve of the game, telling his players to “fail in a beautiful way” if they were to get eliminated.
They took that to heart.
An early goal was needed to really give a shaken Barca team the jitters and it arrived after seven minutes, with Origi tapping into an empty net after goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could only parry out a shot by Jordan Henderson.
Wijnaldum, who came on for Andy Robertson, made an almost instant impact, making it 2-0 by sweeping home a low cross from Alexander-Arnold.
Two minutes later, he made another run into the area and met a cross from Xherdan Shaqiri with a firm header into the corner past a flat-footed Ter Stegen.
Then came the coup de grace after cheeky play by Alexander-Arnold. Origi scored and Barcelona had no answer.
Alexander-Arnold said of his quick thinking: “I think it was just instinctive. It was one of those moments where you see the opportunity.”
Origi paid tribute to his team-mates and also the fans who created the atmosphere on which Liverpool thrived.
“I think it was more about the team,” said Origi. “We fought so hard. We fought until the end. It shows we have a good mix of talent and hard work.”
Kangas
Guest
Surely Jamie / redondo It’s not about a league or Aussie rules It’s about a great win by Liverpool and it helps the thread to keep it about the champions league It’s
Kangas
Guest
Brilliant Sam This article about Liverpool is brilliant, what a win over Barcelona
Kanga
Guest
Munro mike I totally agree with you ... an outstanding win by Liverpool Love your work
Midfielder
Roar Guru
The ratings for this match are off the planet across the world and i have watched highlights in Russian, Arabic , Italian, German, Chinese ... Tis so sad some people can come in from AFL, and try to pretend its not what it is... enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAahveVE2O8
josh
Guest
Are you trying to tell me the east / west divide that's been in Sydney for decades is fake and doesn't transfer across to the A League derby ?
David V
Guest
In fairness Munro Mike, facts are unnecessary when feelings are important to some of these people. It's not a uniquely Australian situation that the domestic league, without a rich tradition of its own, struggles for traction. It's just as much a problem throughout Asia where European leagues dominate football fandom and coverage. It's in fact a deeply entrenched cultural complex. The ACL struggles to capture the imagination even within Asia - certainly East Asia. That's because it lacks the richness of tradition that its European, South American and even African equivalents have, built up over decades. Hence this peculiar cultural complex where deference to anything "European" or "foreign" in general is ingrained. In Australia, years of mismanagement of football helped shaped the inferiority complex in the domestic game which gives rise to the "Eurosnob" perception. The A-League was supposed to address this but has thus far manifestly failed to do so.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Spurs v Ajax, biggest comeback since yesterday or biggest comeback ever.
Punter
Roar Rookie
MM to me it's all football, whether it's champions league, EPL, world cup, Socceroos or A-League, it's all football. I have always maintained that Football is far bigger then AFL in Australia's biggest City. As far as Hollywood movies drowns & stifles Australian produced movies, it's still all movies. What is great is that the Hollywood movies are greater then the local soap operas (Neighbours) AFL or (Home & Away) NRL.
Cjones
Guest
Another 3 goal by an English team. Can't wait for the final.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
unbelievable
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
That football is THE sport, we all know already. No point to preach that over and over; we all know already. I love watching AFL and union also, and I can't understand people who have to bash other codes to enjoy their own favorite code.
Sam
Guest
16k to final.....in Melbourne . That's Crap.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Nemesis Excellent question. First and foremost - clubs of this vintage have members all around the country. Those in/around Melb/Vic won't all have a full Home and Away membership - this game was a Western Bulldogs HOME game. By contrast - the Carlton vs North game at 'Marvel' stadium on Sunday arvo was a member replacement game for North (to make up for games in Hobart) - - so the 42K to that looks better but there were on a par perhaps. As it is - I couldn't go Sunday arvo as my son and I were umpiring.....this is where the Sunday arvo game has a big conflict with junior and womens footy while the Doggies v Richmond on Sat night had no such excuse really. So - yeah - pretty slack from Richmond. Is it embarrassing......nah.....as you say....22 matches every year and nearly every one in the home city which means if you're not part of the cheer squad - then you're probably going to save your effort for home games at the MCG rather than away at Marvel - - especially if having home game reserved seats compared to sitting in the nose bleeds at Marvel. It's not really that big a mystery!! It really only is a question of home many Richmond members are full H&A 22 game members. That's all.
Nemesis
Guest
The Final was played against a club that's based in another country. Melbourne Victory has around 25k Members. Apart from 1 fixture, all matches MVFC plays in Melbourne are against teams from interstate or overseas. Average crowds this season were: 21.6k for all home matches played in Melbourne. From a Membership of 25k, that's not bad. Given it's a crap football league, with crap players that no one watches.
Sam
Guest
@nem They’ve got a 100k because they’re loyal to the club. MV got 16 k to their final last week..... can we have your analysis & opinion of this poor outcome? Where were the other 10k? Don’t expect a reply.
Nemesis
Guest
"Richmond has ticked over 100,000 paid up members for 2019….." Wow. That means only around 20% of them bothered to go to their Derby match last Saturday? 2 of the Champions of Aussie Rules from past 3 years playing in a Melbourne Derby, but they couldn't even fill the stadium? 36k fans. Assume the home team has around half the fans? That's embarrassing for the best Aussie Rules competition in the world & the best supported Aussie Rules club in the world. Fans can't even fill the stadium in their home city? Why is that I wonder? There are only 22 matches each year & nearly every match is played in the home city, but these "members" can't be bothered watching their own team?
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
and you have, a dragon? if you don't have hope, and aspiration, don't bother.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#josh Soccer in Australia is 2nd....if not 3rd rate. Soccer in England is the game in it's homeland - - where that game has it's greatest traditions and rivalries. It's not plastic concocted rivalries but it's real.....well....based on reality - given owned by billionaires but that's another story.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Nemesis Not necessarily. I do know a number of AFL fans who follow MVFC.....less so re Ciddy....is there a huge number?? I personally can't say - - but then, a club like Richmond has ticked over 100,000 paid up members for 2019.....you could have 0.5% of them (500) as paid up members of MVFC and that would seem a quite a significant proportion of MVFC members but be barely noticeable regarding AFL fans if you know what I mean (not trying to diminish here - just illustrating relativity).
Danny
Roar Pro
One thing's for sure it's in Liverpool's hands to come away with silverware now. Two cups in the lap of the Gods, one cup in the hands of men.