THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
This was the day. Both clubs had fought tooth and nail for nearly a year to be able to play in this one match, for a chance to lift the greatest trophy that club football has to offer. This was the UEFA Champions League final, and both Liverpool and Atletico Madrid were ready to do battle in Berlin. The Olympiastadion was set.
Both managers had some surprises in their starting eleven. Michael Laudrup, perhaps to strengthen his central midfield in the face of playing Liverpool's four-man diamond, opted to start young Saul in central midfield, shift Turan to the right, and bench Alessio Cerci. Jordan Henderson failed a late fitness test for the Reds, leaving Brendan Rodgers to start Emre Can in central midfield. The full lineups were as follows:
Atletico Madrid Team News
Starting XI (4-3-3): Moya; Juanfran, Godin, Miranda, Siqueira; Gabi, Koke, Saul; Turan, Griezmann, Destro
Substitutes: Oblak, Gamez, Ansaldi, Suarez, Cerci, Garcia, Mandzukic
Liverpool Team News
Starting XI (4-1-2-1-2): Mignolet; Alves, Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno; Leiva; Coutinho, Can; Sterling; Sturridge, Balotelli
Substitutes: George, Johnson, Borini, Lambert, Vallejo, Enrique, Manquillo
From the very first whistle, Liverpool were in control. Their midfield dominated proceedings, not giving Atletico's playmakers a chance to get on the ball. Lucas Leiva broke up los Colchoneros' attacks each time they came forward, and Philippe Coutinho was untouchable when he jinked forward and connected with his strikers.
Fourteen minutes into the match, the deadlock was broken. Dani Alves, enjoying his first season with the English side six years with FC Barcelona, hit a delightful long through ball over the top for Mario Balotelli, who had caught Joao Miranda napping. The Italian thumped the ball toward goal, only for Moya to save it, but the rebound fell straight to Daniel Sturridge to put home for a 1-0 Liverpool lead early in the match.
Just four minutes later, the Reds nearly doubled their advantage. Raheem Sterling chipped the ball in behind the Atletico defense, and Mario Balotelli took one touch to control and the next to rifle the ball into the opposite corner with his left foot. However, the striker was called offside, the goal was wiped off.
Mario Balotelli was proving unstoppable for Liverpool; Atletico's Diego Godin and Joao Miranda simply could not handle the physical Italian front-man.
Michael Laudrup made a few changes at half time to try and change the game. Mario Suarez came on for the highly ineffective Saul, while the injured Antoine Griezmann came off, replaced by Mario Mandzukic, signaling a switch to a two-striker formation with the Croat linking up with Mattia Destro to unsettle Liverpool's back line.
On the hourmark, however, the English side extended their lead. Guilherme Siqueira's tackle on Raheem Sterling just outside the box was called a foul. Mario Balotelli stepped up to it confidently and struck it venomously over the wall, swerving and dipping into the corner, leaving Moya no chance. Super Mario jogged over to the fans, arms aloft, celebrating his side's 2-0 lead with just thirty minutes to go.
The Spanish side threw everything forward after that, but simply could not find a hole to penetrate; surprisingly, Rodgers' Liverpool side looked well-drilled and disciplined at the back, giving up no space. In injury time, Mario Mandzukic managed to pick out substitute Alessio Cerci in the box to jab home to make things 2-1 to Liverpool, but it was too little, too late, and the final whistle blew.
Liverpool have now won the UEFA Champions League six times in their history, the third most of any club, with only Real Madrid and AC Milan having won more.
The Liverpool players celebrated with great gusto after the match; nobody had expected them to come this far, let alone win the trophy, and yet they'd done it. Liverpool, it seems, are back to play with the big boys for a few years to come.
The Atletico boys, however, looked absolutely devastated. It was the second year in a row that los Colchoneros had lost this prestigious final, under two different managers. It seemed the curse would go on, and that the Madrid side had blown their best chances to add their name to the list of European Cup champions.
"We'll be back," vowed an emotional Michael Laudrup after the game. "It hurts now. It hurts so, so much. But I look at our team, I look at every player, and I see nothing but determination. I promise you all; we will be back, and we will triumph, no matter how long it takes."
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Don't worry, Josh, I'll have my vengeance on them yet!
But yeah, really tough to lose that match. I can't say we deserved to win on the day, though; they played super well.
