Liverpool downs Spurs to take 6th Champions League title

Jordan+Henderson+lifts+up+the+Champions+League+Trophy+after+defeating+Spurs.

Photo Via Liverpool Echo

Jordan Henderson lifts up the Champions League Trophy after defeating Spurs.

Tyler Zeman, Staff Writer

On Saturday evening in Madrid, at Atletico Madrid’s stadium the Wanda Metropolitano, the Champions League final kicked off with two English powerhouses going head to head to be known as the champions of Europe.

In one corner was Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, which took the Premier League by storm this season, creating an awesome race for the title while finishing second with 97 points.

In the Champions League tournament, Liverpool had finished second in Group C behind Paris Saint-Germain, punching their ticket to the knockout stages. In their knockout run to the final, they beat Bayern Munchen, FC Porto, and Barcelona.

In the opposite corner was Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur, a team that was above average in the Premier League, but came to life when Champions League matches came about.

Tottenham also finished second in its group, behind Barcelona, to qualify for the knockout stages. Their run consisted of beating Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, and Ajax.

Saturday’s Champions League final was the second European tournament last week to feature an all-England lineup, as Chelsea had defeated Arsenal to win the the Europa League midweek.

Straight from Saturday’s kickoff, Liverpool’s Sadio Mane took on two Spurs defenders and then reached the edge of the 18-yard box. As Mane sent a cross into the air, the ball struck the hand of Spurs midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

This resulted in a penalty kick for Liverpool, and Mo Salah stepped up and buried the kick, springing Liverpool into the lead and recording the second-fastest goal in a Champions League Final.

For the rest of the first half both teams failed to really dominate possession and only created a few scoring chances.

In the second half, Liverpool brought on Divock Origi in the 58th minute. In the semi-final, Origi had helped spring Liverpool into the final as he scored a brace at Anfield in the semi-final to knock out Barcelona.

His goals in the Champions League were not done yet, as he scored in the 87th minute on Saturday to seal the deal and help Liverpool get their sixth Champions League title.

Many thought this was one of the most boring finals in Champions League history. But it was actually a tactical battle with the two best tactical managers in the world preparing their teams to duel it out in hopes of being crowned the Champions of Europe.