Champions, Real Madrid-Liverpool 1-0: Ancelotti triumphs

There are fourteen for Real Madrid. Fourteen Champions League, it is impressive just to write it, such a thing. Carlo Ancelotti is once again the king of Paris, as in the days of the PSG … but his reign, from tonight, is of an unexplored, dazzling grandeur: four times on the roof of Europe, no one had ever succeeded . Liverpool chews bitter again, four years after the final lost in Kiev against the blancos: this time it is not the Reds goalkeeper (Karius) who is decisive in the negative, it is that of Madrid (Courtois) who becomes a wall with two shovels in place of the arms. It ends 1-0, in Saint-Denis. The signing is that of Vinicius, the Casa Blanca is again master of Europe and England remains without European trophies.

Slow start

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The departure is … false, in the sense that it starts more than half an hour late. Problems in accessing the English fans who are left out by the hundreds, sensational disorganization in managing the influx of the Stade de France. Stinging gas also sprayed on children, absolute chaos. And some incidents at the entrance gates to block the attempts of those who try to take advantage of the situation to climb over without a ticket. Turpin whistles the start at 21.36, but Reds and Madrid add a few more minutes of waiting, before starting to face each other for real. Klopp’s 4-3-3 and Ancelotti’s 4-4-2 impact head-on, managing to cancel each other out for a quarter of an hour. Then the balance of the match seems to tilt towards the red plate: Alexander-Arnold and Salah seek and propitiate each other’s conclusions, the best opportunity happens to Mané and it barely materializes.

Benzema … indeed no

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If Courtois didn’t do a miracle on the Senegalese’s right, sending him crashing into the post, we would be talking about another match. On the other hand, the parity resists, Madrid have the opportunity to fuel without going under in the score and just before the interval they would also find the advantage: good for the Reds that Fabinho’s intervention to counter Valverde’s shot is not considered a “play” from the Var, a decision that automatically decrees the offside of Benzema, the author of the winning paw. Turpin does not review the action and trusts the overrule, but in short, some doubts remain. Klopp breathes a sigh of relief and goes to the locker room, with the feeling that Ancelotti is slowly harnessing him, similar to what Carvajal – wanting to choose a duel among many – is doing with Luis Diaz public danger.

Wines-goals

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We leave again and arrive without jolts at game time: the moment when the game breaks. Madrid was deadly in reading and punishing the slips of the English defense, Valverde very ready to materialize for the cross, Vinicius present in the touch on the net with an empty net. This time the Var check does not choke the madridista scream, it is 1-0 and the cup already seems to be tinged with white. It’s early, though. Salah calls Courtois again to dive, Klopp takes away Diaz and puts Jota, the Reds throw themselves forward with their heads down and the Belgian goalkeeper must again overcome himself to put a foot between Salah and the equalizer. The next moves will be Keita and Firmino.

Huge Courtois

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The last quarter of an hour is a siege by the Reds, still vital despite the 63 games played in the season (or all those possible …). Keita wastes from the edge, then a new Salah-Courtois duel and the Belgian goalkeeper is simply gigantic in flying on the Egyptian’s shot, in turn amazing in control and dribbling on Mendy. Salah beats his fists on the lawn, realizes that it is another haunted night (in Kiev he was injured after half an hour). The red tide rises, pushes, charges, but does not pass. And at the final whistle of Turpin, Ancelotti is King Carlo again. Liga and Champions: thank goodness they thought it was over.