Hats off to English football
(Baonghean.vn) - For the first time in European football history, all four teams participating in the two finals of European cups are English teams. Tottenham and Liverpool will participate in the Champions League final, while Arsenal and Chelsea will meet in the Europa League final.
Liverpool and Tottenham are the two English teams present in the 27th final in the history of the Champions League, the 64th if counting the C1 Cup, on June 1 in Madrid (Spain). But this is the first time, the road to the final has a crazy "scenario" with unbelievable comebacks.
This is the 6th Champions League final, in which 2 teams from the same country participated. The first time was the encounter between Real Madrid and Valencia (Spain) at Stade de France (France) in the 1999-2000 season, exactly 2 decades ago.
The British have every right to be proud.
The last time two English teams met in a Champions League final was 11 years ago. When Man.United and Chelsea faced each other in Moscow (Russia) in the 2007-2008 season, this was also the first time an all-English final happened.
English football has made the media "offside" by a dramatic and surprisingly surprising scenario. After the 0-3 loss at Noup Cam stadium of Barca, no one thought that the team from the port city of Liverpool would "beat" the La Liga champion 4 goals to nil.
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| The result Liverpool 4-0 Barca is considered Liverpool's most spectacular comeback. Photo: goal.com |
At Liverpool's Anfield stadium for about 75% of the match, Barcelona were pushed into a position of underdogs, falling into a state of fear and unable to find an answer. A few days after the match, coach Jurgen Klopp still did not understand what had happened, and coach Ernesto Valverde did not believe that his team had been eliminated.
Only Messi's warning was correct: "Be careful with the speed Liverpool will use in the second leg of the semi-final at home." The star also said that they (Barca) were exhausted and could not be allowed to play at that speed again, but then no one believed the advice and the well-known happened.
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| Moura sealed a 3-2 win to help Tottenham reach the final for the first time in history. Photo: fivethirtyeight.com |
For Tottenham, things are even more strange. Because of the money spent on building Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to replace the old White Hart Lane, the 2018 summer transfer window ended without Tottenham welcoming any new players. Since 2003, no team in the Premier League has done the same as the "Rooster". Not only that, 2 names said goodbye to the London team including left winger Keanan Bennetts (to Borussia Monchengladbach, 2 million pounds) and defensive midfielder Anton Walkes (Portsmouth, transfer fee not disclosed).
For many, including the author of this article, losing 0-1 to Ajax Amsterdam at home means the Champions League is over. Things got worse at the Johan Cruyff Arena when, after 35 minutes of play, Mauricio Pochettino's players conceded two more goals, making the final score 3-0. Many "Gà Gà" fans turned off the TV and went to sleep because there was no hope left.
Ajax is the "Comeback King" in this year's Champions League when they eliminated two giants Real Madrid and Juventus after excellent performances in the second leg despite having to play away. But this time, coach Ten Hag's team witnessed the rise of Tottenham even more miraculously. Moura, when the Brazilian striker almost single-handedly brought "The Roosters" to the final with 3 goals in the second half.
Statistics favorLiverpool
English football has made the most dramatic comeback in the history of the Champions League. No director could have come up with a more perfect scenario than what Liverpool and Tottenham have just done, beyond the imagination of any coach. For English football fans, it doesn't matter which team Liverpool or Tottenham wins the Champions League, the Cup will definitely come back to England.
In the European Cup, this is the second time Liverpool and Tottenham have faced each other, after the first time in the UEFA Cup semi-finals in the 1972-1973 season (with Liverpool winning on away goals, winning 1-0 in the first leg and losing 1-2 in the second leg).
If we consider the final confrontation, this is also the second time they have faced each other. The first time was the final of the English League Cup in the 1981-1982 season, Liverpool still won with a score of 3-1 after extra time.
In total, Tottenham and Liverpool have faced each other 170 times before in all competitions, with Liverpool winning 79, drawing 43 and Tottenham winning 48. In the last 14 meetings, Liverpool have won 9, drawn 4 and lost only 1 match, so Red Devils fans are full of hope.