Liverpool thanks to mega turnaround in the final of the Champions League: Klopp-Elf wrestles Villarreal down

Created: 05/04/2022, 06:15

By: Christoph Klaucke

Liverpool FC is in the final of the Champions League.

The Klopp-Elf manages to catch up after the break.

The semifinals in the ticker to read.

• Villarreal FC – Liverpool FC 2:3 (2:0), first leg: 0:2

• Liverpool FC is in the final of the Champions League.

• Villarreal equalized the duel with the 2-0 at the break, but the Klopp-Elf hit back ice-cold.

• The semi-final between Villarreal and Liverpool in the ticker to read.

Villarreal FC – Liverpool FC 2:3 (2:0)

+++ After the semi-final against Villarreal, Jürgen Klopp was emotionally exhausted from the rollercoaster ride of the game.

"The second half was better than the first.

It all started the way you don't want it to.

That wasn't the plan.

They got going and the little stadium was on fire.

They bought the guts from us.

We left holes defensively, that was crazy.

We didn't have a rhythm," said the Liverpool coach on Amazon Prime.

After the break, his team turned the game around and turned the game around to a 3-2 win.

"Then we started kicking, found the space and moved much better.

We were awake then, the 2-0 win wasn't a catastrophe.” Kloppo also had praise for the opponent Villarreal and his fans in store: “The squad are doing outstandingly, I have the utmost respect for them.

I think the stadium is awesome, the atmosphere is great.”

Liverpool and manager Jurgen Klopp are in the Champions League final after beating Villarreal.

© Adam Davy/Imago

Liverpool in the final of the Champions League: Klopp-Elf creates a mega turnaround against Villarreal

FINAL WHISTLE: It's over, it's over!

Liverpool FC is in the final of the Champions League.

Jürgen Klopp's team is reaching for the pot again after 2019.

An unforgettable evening of football in the premier class comes to an end.

The whole stadium is standing.

Villarreal fans sing after the final whistle and pay tribute to their team for a strong performance.

After the 2-0 lead at the break, which would have resulted in extra time, the yellow submarine went off course.

But Liverpool also improved significantly and even turned the game to 3:2.

89 minutes:

Villarreal is out of juice.

Liverpool come up against a few dangerous counterattacks, but no longer finish the attacks with the ultimate consequence.

The hosts long for the final whistle.

There are two minutes of stoppage time.

86 minutes:

Yellow and red for Capoue!

Frustration is spreading at Villarreal.

The midfielder gets in hard on Curtis Jones and concedes the dismissal.

Villarreal has to play the last few minutes outnumbered.

82 minutes:

Villarreal is now clearly shocked.

The sensation was within reach, but the goals conceded tear the hosts from all their dreams.

Villarreal would now need three more goals for extra time, an impossibility.

80 minutes:

Almost the next goal for Liverpool.

Henderson puts the ball in for Curtis Jones on the right side of the penalty area, but the youngster is denied by a foot save by Rulli.

Villarreal against Liverpool NOW in the live ticker: Klopp-Elf manages to turn around after the break

74 minutes: TOR for Liverpool!

2: 3 by Sadio Mané.

Villarreal collapses.

The yellow submarine has moved far up and loses the ball. Goalkeeper Rulli storms out of his box and still wants to save.

But Mané is faster and escapes one last desperate attempt by Foyth.

After that, the Senegalese only has to hit the empty goal.

69 minutes:

Villarreal coach Unai Emery reacts immediately and changes twice.

Bayern scare Samu Chukwueze, who scored the decisive goal just before the end of the quarter-finals in Munich, and Alfonso Pedraza replace Gerard and Coquelin.

Villarreal against Liverpool NOW in the live ticker: Klopp-Elf with a double strike

67 minutes: TOOOOOOOOOOOR for Liverpool!

2: 2 by Luis Diaz.

The joker stabs.

Right-back Alexander-Arnold crosses with his left and suddenly four Reds appear freely in Villarreal's penalty area.

Luis Diaz sets the header.

Goalkeeper Rulli is still there, but cannot prevent the impact from a short distance.

66 minutes:

Substitute Luis Diaz tries a flick on the left side of the penalty area – it didn't go far.

The Joker is doing a good job.

62 minutes: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR for Liverpool!

2-1 through Fabinho.

Liverpool are back in the final!

Salah frees Fabinho in the penalty area on the right.

The Brazilian doesn't really know where to put the ball and then simply chases it flat in the direction of the goal.

Goalkeeper Rulli doesn't get his legs closed in time.

Bitter for Villarreal!

59 minutes:

The game takes place almost exclusively in Villarreal's half.

The hosts can hardly free themselves and don't manage to become dangerous after counterattacks.

Liverpool presses on a goal.

55 minutes: Latte Liverpool!

Alexander-Arnold simply holds on after a quickly played standard situation.

His long-range shot is deflected by goal scorer Coquelin and hits the crossbar.

53 minutes:

Liverpool now takes command and is getting stronger.

Rulli has to clear an Alexander Arnold cross with his fists.

Villarreal throttles the risk and can breathe a little.

49 minutes:

Liverpool free-kick from a dangerous position just outside the penalty area.

But Mané cannot control Alexander-Arnold's cross and stumbles past the goal.

BEGINNING 2nd HALF:

It's on in Villarreal.

Does Liverpool have a reaction or will the madness take its course?

LFC coach Jürgen Klopp brings Luis Diaz for Diogo Jota.

HALFTIME: Liverpool saves the 0: 2 in the break.

FC Villarreal set off fireworks here, the fans in the Estadio de La Cerámica went wild.

The Yellow Submarine is annoying, bites and scratches.

The Reds don't know what's happening to them.

Villarreal not only convinces with unconditional passion, but also with a clear match plan.

The hosts surprise the LFC with extremely high pressing without forgetting to protect themselves from behind.

A very strong performance!

45 minutes:

There are two minutes of added time in the first round.

Liverpool should be happy if it's half time.

Then this semi-final starts all over again after three quarters.

Villarreal against Liverpool NOW in the live ticker: Second goal – extra time is imminent

41 minutes: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR for Villarreal!

2-0 through Francis Coquelin.

The absolute madness takes its course.

Capoue turns full-back Robertson on the right and brings in the cross.

The ex-Freiburger Coquelin climbs the highest and heads into the corner, Alexander-Arnold is too late.

As of now there is an extension.

Is that crazy!

39 minutes:

The decision remains: No penalty for Villarreal.

Lo Celso is able to continue playing after a brief break in treatment, but would have liked to have seen a penalty.

37 minutes: Penalty for Villarreal?

Keita's bad pass becomes an assist for Gerard, who pushes through to Lo Celso.

Liverpool keeper Alisson clears the Argentine, but also plays the ball clearly. The scene is checked by the VAR.

33 minutes:

Liverpool usually tries long balls to the lightning-fast strikers.

So far, this concept has not worked at all, Villarreal's defense is optimally prepared.

29 minutes:

The game has cooled down a bit, but only a little bit.

Villarreal continue to push forward but the home side are aware they have more than an hour to score another goal.

Liverpool does little and initially tries to establish a stable order.

24 minutes:

Villarreal runs into a Liverpool counterattack.

Raul Albiol can just stop Diogo Jota from finishing.

Goalkeeper Rulli wants to grab the ball and already has a hand on it, but then Salah splashes in between.

The referee rightly decides that the Egyptian has committed a foul.

Rulli gives Salah a few words for the unfair action.

20 minutes:

Liverpool FC seems completely caught off guard by the dynamics of the game.

The Klopp team cannot yet exercise dominance.

It's a wild game at times, which definitely can't be to the Reds' liking.

16 minutes:

Now it's going to be quick.

This time Villarreal again and it's again on the left side.

Gerard heads the ball from a cross, but Robertson blocks.

14 minutes:

Out of nowhere, the huge opportunity to equalize for Liverpool.

Parejo loses the ball to Keita just outside the penalty area.

Thiago takes the free ball directly, but shoots just over the box.

Lucky for Villarreal!

12 minutes:

Villarreal demands penalties!

Coquelin goes down in the penalty area after Keita elbows him - but that's far too little for a penalty.

8th Minute:

Villarreal plays with full passion and is whipped forward by the fans.

The Estadio de la Cerámica is like a madhouse.

But Liverpool is good for a dangerous advance at any second and tries to calm things down a bit.

Villarreal against Liverpool NOW in the live ticker: Early goal shakes the stadium

3 minutes: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR for Villarreal!

1-0 through Boulaye Dia.

The hit was already indicated, the yellow submarine sets a crazy pace.

Estupinan crosses from the left, Capoue puts it back and Dia just has to push in.

Villarreal are just one goal away from a possible extension.

KICK-OFF:

The ball rolls!

Villarreal in yellow shirts left to right versus Liverpool in red.

Update from May 3, 9 p.m.:

The atmosphere in the Estadio de la Cerámica is boiling over.

For Villarreal, the Champions League semi-final is one of the biggest games in club history.

Liverpool also have to play the Villarreal fans tonight.

Update from May 3, 8:57 p.m .: Can

Liverpool actually make it to the Champions League final today?

In 2006, the “Yellow Submarine” came very close.

Juan Roman Riquelme's last-minute penalty was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

It remained 0-0 and Villarreal was eliminated from the first leg after the 0-1 draw.

It should work today, but according to coach Emery, the hosts need the “perfect game” for that.

Update from May 3, 8:48 p.m .:

Is Liverpool’s Thiago conjuring up again today?

The ex-Bayern star gave a gala performance in the first leg against Villarreal.

The Spaniard was quite rightly named UEFA's player of the match.

The British press also celebrated the 31-year-old: “He controlled midfield and played brilliant passes.

In possession he was untouchable," wrote 

.

even attested him a “world-class performance” 

.

Thiago is back in the LFC starting eleven today.

Update from May 3, 8:37 p.m .:

“Villarreal wants a goal, definitely.

That means that we will have to suffer football-wise here today," said Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp before the game.

"They will play more football than we allowed them to do in the first leg."

Champions League: Villarreal against Liverpool in the live ticker – continuous rain in eastern Spain

Update from May 3, 8:32 p.m .:

In the 50,000-inhabitant city of Villarreal in eastern Spain, it has been raining from buckets for hours.

Possibly an advantage for the hosts?

After all, the Emery squad knows the domestic course in the Estadio de la Cerámica, and the duel with Liverpool is likely to be more unpredictable in the rain.

The Reds, on the other hand, should know the conditions as a British team from the island very well.

Champions League: Villarreal against Liverpool in the live ticker – “Yellow Submarine” needs two goals

Update from May 3, 8:18 p.m .:

A look at the starting position: FC Villarreal needs at least two goals tonight to create the surprise.

Every victory with a two-goal lead catapults the “Yellow Submarine” into overtime, so a win with a three-goal difference would have to be achieved in order to progress without the lottery penalty shoot-out.

Liverpool FC, on the other hand, would even get into the final of the Champions League on May 28th in Paris if they lost by one goal.

Champions League: Villarreal against Liverpool in the live ticker – Bayern fright only on the bench

Update from May 3, 8 p.m.:

The lineups of both teams are here!

Villarreal's coach Unai Emery rested his starting eleven in the 2-1 draw against Alaves.

Compared to 0: 2 in the first leg, the coach fox has to exchange his double leadership.

The "Yellow Submarine" wants to switch to attack mode with Captain Gerard and Dia.

Danjuma, Villarreal's top scorer with six goals in the Champions League, is out with a muscular problem.

Samu Chukwueze, who shocked FC Bayern with his late equalizer to make it 1-1 in the second leg of the quarter-finals, is on the bench for the time being.

Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp also changes his starting XI to two positions after the successful first leg.

The back four remains the same, in the three-man midfield, ex-Leipzig player Naby Keita is given preference over captain Henderson.

The storm trio around Salah and Mané is completed this time by Diogo Jota, who relegates Luis Diaz to the bench.

Champions League: Villarreal against Liverpool in the live ticker – catching up planned

Preview:

Villarreal – Villarreal host Liverpool FC in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

The outsider from the 50,000-inhabitant city in eastern Spain wants to initiate the "Remontada" against the apparently overpowering Premier League club from England, which in German means something like catching up.

That is also necessary, because the Reds dominated the first leg at Anfield Road and won well deservedly 2-0.

In the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool, FC Villarreal will play in their jewel case, the Estadio de la Cerámica.

The city of Villarreal is known throughout the country for its ceramics industry.

The stadium, formerly known as El Madrigal, can only hold 23,500 spectators, but with the help of the fans it turns into a cauldron.

Champions League: Villarreal vs Liverpool in the live ticker – "Bayern's game is the perfect example"

FC Bayern Munich had to experience this a few weeks ago in the quarter-finals.

"The Bayern game is the perfect example," recalls Villarreal's central defender Pau Torres of the 1-0 win over the German champions in early April.

“We beat a title contender at home.

It was a close result, but we still had a number of good chances.

A semi-final is also 180 minutes.

Nothing has been decided yet.”

To do that, you need "a perfect game" against the "best team in the world", stressed Villarreal's coach Unai Emery.

"We've come this far and now we want to reach the final." The home field advantage will definitely play a role on Tuesday, Emery hopes.

"We don't just want to play tomorrow, we want to do everything we can to win the game so that our fans get their money's worth."

Champions League: Villarreal against Liverpool in the live ticker – Klopp in front of a historic opportunity

Liverpool FC under German coach Jürgen Klopp should be warned about Villarreal.

A lap earlier, the "yellow submarine", as the club is called because of the jersey color, had already knocked out Juventus Turin.

"They will give everything they have," warned Klopp, who recently extended his contract with Liverpool until 2026.

Klopp's wife Ulla had a major impact on the contract extension, albeit with a different surname.

Klopp has a historic chance: the 54-year-old could become the first Liverpool manager to win four titles in one season - the quadruple.

In the final on May 28 in Paris, Klopp could already win the second CL title after 2019 with Liverpool.

The Premier League runners-up have already won the League Cup.

In the FA Cup, the Reds are in the final against Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea and in the Premier League they are just a point behind Manchester City with four games to go.

A defeat by one goal is enough for the Champions League final.

(ck)