Newsletter

The mystique of Real Madrid enchanted Anfield: “The tie is over”

Wednesday dawned rainy in Liverpool. A thin curtain of water fell on Lord Street, the downtown pedestrian artery, where suspicious Christmas lights still shine. as if the city criedthe painful win conceded against the Real Madrid hours earlier at Anfield.

At Lime Street railway station we were queuing at a food-truck from a cafeteria with an Italian name an army of zombies to jump-start the day with a double dose of caffeine, as we flipped through the back cover of the Echo, the Liverpool newspaper. On it was a big headline: SurRealmaking one of those puns that the English media like so much. Reviewing the match notes, no local player was suspended, despite the win conceded by his team.

The theater of ‘Vini’

The tone of the chronicle was one of resignation. The same as the captain reflected hours before in the mixed zone, Jordan Henderson. “They are Real Madrid and when you fail, they don’t forgive you”. It was not different from the reflection that Jürgen Klopp makes in the press room: “I think that Carlo believes that the tie is over. I think so too, but in three weeks…”.

The German goes so far as to describe the first part of his team “as the best so far this season. But those two goals…”. “In the first vinicius I was surrounded, but no one covered the shot”, he lamented. Then in the second half that third goal came so soon and we couldn’t do anything anymore, the game belonged to Real Madrid”. The German said goodbye with a laconic “Thank you!” in Spanish of the press picking up his backpack and marching with a brisk step.

If you have to explain the win from a name, that is Vinicius, who already scored the goal that decided the final in Paris. The Brazilian became the youngest player to score twice at Anfield Liverpool in European competition since a certain Johan Cruyff did it in 1966 with Ajax against the reds from Bill Shankly himself.

Nacho’s complaint

The other name was that of Nacho. “He always complies, put him where he puts him,” warned Ancelotti, who again bet on Rüdiger, leaving the youth squad player on the bench. Fate, or luck (for Real Madrid), is that The man from Madrid entered due to an injured Alaba and disconnected Salah from the game.

Even Klopp praised the white ‘6’: “Nacho came in and he was incredible. I don’t know how many years he has been at Madrid, but he was great”. He has 14, and may not add more because he is released in June and he is tired of waiting for his opportunity. Nacho decided not to hide his disappointment as he left the Anfield locker room: “I fight to be a starter, it’s what I’ve done all my life. My level in recent games is very good. But when games like this come along and you’re not a starter, you do get disappointed”. message for a Carlettowhich continues without giving him the ownership he has earned.

the bowels of colosseum liverpudlian, with The Kop now empty, were abuzz. On the pitch, Thiago, who did not play, was exercising with two teammates on one side of the pitch. On the other, Odriozola’s races were celebrated by the two thousand Spaniards who are still in the stands waiting to get out.

good manners

Ancelotti reduces the euphoria: “We have done the first part of the job. The second one remains and we already have experience with this”. The Italian confessed that “after the 2-0 goal, I immediately thought of last year’s game against Manchester City and it went as well as then”. It was not just any night, it was two years since Ancelotti’s victorious departure from Anfield with Everton in a victory that the ‘toffees’ had been waiting for 22 years.

The Spanish press began to slip a name into their questions: Istanbul, venue for the Champions League final. And the English colleagues looked with reverential respect at the white players who passed through the mixed zone, like Federico Valverde. “We have gotten used to coming back, but I want to start by winning 2-0 in a game. A month ago they gave us up for dead and we are still alive in all competitions. We are the same players”.

The same footballers who have once again shown why they wear the crown of European champions, a competition in which they feel like hosts whatever the field. In which they put a spell on their opponents when they go into a football trance, as happened this Tuesday at Anfield. It didn’t matter that the score was 2-0 for Liverpool after Courtois’s unexpected mistake. While Liverpool celebrated the goal with their stands, Modric and Benzema met their teammates in the middle of the field. “There is time, calm down. We are Real Madrid!” Only that, but all that. And once again, the miracle happened.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending