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Next big cup for Jürgen Klopp
Liverpool FC and master maker Jürgen Klopp finally have the much-awaited trophy. On the empty fan stand, Captain Jordan Henderson lifted the silver trophy late Wednesday evening.
The last game day of the second English league was hard to beat in terms of drama. Promotion and descent were decided in the last seconds of the season. Nottingham Forest lost a comfortable lead.
DThe initial situation had given the fans hope. Nottingham Forest would get the chance to return to the Premier League after 21 years of abstinence. Since the end of December, the traditional club in England’s second division had consistently been one of the four teams in third, fourth, fifth and sixth place, who in the end play out the third promoted team.
The team had not won for five games and even lost Barnsley 0-1 on the last matchday. Cardiff City was now on par with the fifth in the table.
But the gap to seventh was still comfortable before the last matchday with three points and a goal difference five goals better than that of FC Swansea. Nottingham also played at home against table 17. Stoke City. So what should happen there?
Sabri Lamouchi can’t believe it
Even when competitor Swansea took the 2-1 lead in Reading in the 66th minute, nobody in Nottingham became restless. It was 1-1 against Stoke. But then Forest conceded the 1: 2 (73.) and 1: 3 (78.) with a double blow, while the Welshmen in the parallel game set to 3: 1 six minutes before the final whistle and thus in the table except for one goal at Nottingham had approached.
Then came injury time, when substitute Wayne Routledge became a hero for Swansea. With his goal (90. + 1) he made his double, the 4: 1 and the participation in the promotion playoff perfect. Nottingham received the 1-4 knockout in the sixth minute of stoppage time, characteristically through an own goal. The lead had lasted until the added time of the 46 game days long season, now everything was still wasted on the finish line.
The coach spoke of a “disaster” after the final whistle. “I cannot yet accept the end of this season,” said Sabri Lamouchi: “I cannot describe what has happened here today and in the last five games. How is it possible not to reach the play-offs in the end? “
FC Brentford, Fulham, Cardiff and Swansea City will now play the third promoted team from Sunday. The final, which is often called a “game for 200 million euros” in view of the additional income, will take place on August 4th in London’s Wembley Stadium.
The winner then follows champion Leeds United, who was promoted to second division champions last Friday, and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. The team of former Croatian national team coach Slaven Bilic were awarded a 2-2 (1-1) win at the end of the championship against Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday after rival FC Brentford losing 1-2 to Barnsley.
At the goal: Slaven Bilic moves directly into the Premier League with West Brom after a long season
Quelle: Action Images via Reuters
Barnsley, bottom of the table two games before the end of the season, overtook Charlton Athletic after Hull City and can hope for last-minute relegation in the face of an expected points deduction against Wigan. The goal fell – naturally – in injury time.
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