Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Liverpool
Whatever happens in the future, whatever lies ahead, Liverpool will always have Saturday, June the first 2019.
The night a dream became a reality under the floodlights of Madrid.
The night a sixth Champions League title was won and they were crowned kings of Europe.
After producing Champions League 2019 highlights galore stretching all the way back to September last year, both these clubs deserved enormous credit.
Yet there could only be one winner. Only one of the fine institutions in the English game could prevail. And so it was Liverpool. In truth, the contest was poor and devoid of quality but the victors will not care one jot – and nor should they.
Highlights of the game
SBOBET followers are intelligent enough to know there is little between these clubs, even if the Champions League 2019 betting odds reflected Liverpool as clear favourites.
The way both clubs reached the showpiece of the season was a story in itself and showed that either club was deserving to claim club football’s top prize. In fact, this is the top prize in world football without question.
Those who watched in Madrid – and plenty did without tickets for inside the Wanda Metropolitano – or elsewhere in the world (and there were some heart-warming stories) will always remember the occasion.
Ultimately, it boiled down to a decision in the first minute which set the tone for the 89 minutes that followed.
Slovenia’s Damir Skomina adjudged Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko to have handled the ball in the penalty area and, while some branded the decision laughable, the man that mattered made the decision and Mo Salah wasn’t going to miss the chance to give Jurgen Klopp’s men a dream start.
That gave the Merseysiders with the advantage and, while Spurs had long spells of possession, they largely lacked urgency. Chances were few and far between on both sides before substitute Divock Origi sealed the contest and the crown with three minutes remaining.
Key statistics
Mohamed Salah’s opener for Liverpool is the second fastest goal in a Champions League final, only behind Paolo Maldini (00:50) for AC Milan versus Liverpool in 2005.
A substitute has now scored in five of the last six Champions League finals: Marcelo (2014), Yannick Carrasco (2016), Marco Asensio (2017), Gareth Bale (2018), and Origi (2019).
Klopp is the fifth German manager to win the European Cup, after Dettmar Cramer, Jupp Heynckes, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Udo Lattek but only the second German to win the trophy with a non-German side (Heynckes with Real Madrid).
Only five sides have lifted each of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League and European Cup Winners Cup.
Tottenham and Liverpool have met 170 times in all competitions, the Reds winning 80 to Spurs’ 48, with 43 draws.
Tottenham are the 40th side to feature in a European Cup final, and the first debutants since 2008.
The sides have been paired together only once previously in UEFA competition, in the 1973 UEFA Cup semi-finals, won on away goals by Liverpool after a 2-2 aggregate draw. Alec Lindsay gave Liverpool a first-leg advantage at Anfield and Steve Heighway’s goal in the White Hart Lane return, in between a Martin Peters double for the holders Spurs, proved decisive. Liverpool went on to win the trophy.
Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid) and Fernando Llorente (Juventus) both played as substitutes and ended up on the losing sides in the 2014 and 2015 Champions League finals.
This was Harry Kane’s 50th appearance in the competition.
What’s next?
Both sides will be back in this competition next season but Liverpool with the prestige of Europe’s number one. They are kings of Europe.
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