If you missed the second legs of the UEFA Champions League semi final this year, I’m sorry. You missed arguably two of the best games in the competition’s history.
Liverpool hosted Barcelona and Tottenham traveled to Ajax, for the highly anticipated second leg of their fixtures. If you’re confused by the term “second leg” let me give you a crash course on the aggregate scoring system.
Once the knockout stages of the tournament begin, the teams play two games against each other per round: a home leg, and an away leg. The score is totaled, giving each team an aggregate score for the combined games. If the aggregate score is tied, the team with more away goals moves on. If the teams are still tied, it’s on to penalty kicks.
Barcelona brought a formidable first leg advantage with them to Anfield. A 3-0 thumping at the Camp Nou, handed the Reds their first loss in all competitions since January. A spectacular free kick from Messi was the cherry on top of a dominant performance that seemed to seal Liverpool’s fate.
Surely, there was no way Liverpool could overcome a 3 goal deficit against this club!
After all, this is FC Barcelona we are talking about. They are world renowned for their ability to possess the ball, close out games, and get results. It seemed like Barcelona was destined to move on to the final, but the soccer gods had other ideas.
What happened in that second leg, can only be described as a Merseyside miracle (if you are confused again, google Merseyside).
Liverpool needed a 3-0 victory just to force extra time. They won 4-0, giving them an aggregate score of 4-3. No additional time necessary.
Divock Origi sparked the comeback in the seventh minute, with a classic poacher’s goal; resurrecting the hopes of the Liverpool faithful. An early goal was exactly what they needed, to have a chance of overturning the deficit.
However, Barcelona shored up their defense, and were able to control the rest of the first half. A vital save from Alisson on a shot from Jordi Alba, denied Barcelona the away goal they desperately craved. The score was in Liverpool’s favor, but Barcelona could taste the final.
With only 45 min left, Jurgen Klopp turned to his bench to conjure up more magic. Enter Georginio Wijnaldum. The Dutch midfielder makes Klopp look like a genius when finds the back of the net, just minutes after being introduced.
That wasn’t good enough for Wijnaldum, however.
Two minutes later, he scored again with a brilliantly timed header. It was pandemonium. The Reds had rendered the first leg result null and void.
Fittingly, it was Origi who would sign Barcelona’s death certificate. The Belgian latched onto a quick corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold that caught Barcelona sleeping, and effectively concluded the comeback of the century.
Liverpool FC announcers react to Champions League comeback over FC Barcelona. Video credit http://www.youtube.com/Liverpool FC
As Liverpool celebrated their improbable victory, Tottenham were preparing to face Ajax away. The Spurs slumped to a 1-0 defeat in their first leg game at home. They were outclassed by a confident Ajax team, that had defeated defending champions Real Madrid and Italian heavyweight Juventus en route to the semis.
Tottenham’s woes from the first leg followed them to Amsterdam, and they quickly found themselves deeper in the hole.
Defensive phenom Mattias De Ligt capitalized on a corner just five minutes into the game. Spurs looked like a ghost of the team that had overcome eventual Premier League champions Manchester City in the quarter finals. Hakim Ziyech made it 3-0 Ajax before half time, virtually putting the game to bed.
But the soccer gods had one more twist up their sleeve.
Lucas Moura must have eaten his Wheaties at halftime, because he came out of the tunnel a man possessed. He scored not one, not two, but three goals; to single handedly catapult Spurs into the final, and crush Ajax’s pipe dream.
What struck me most about these games was that neither comeback was sparked by the club’s talisman. Mohammed Salah of Liverpool, and Harry Kane of Tottenham were both out with injuries. Instead, it was the role players who stepped up when it mattered most.
Origi has struggled to earn a starting spot since his arrival at the club in 2014. He was loaned out to other clubs twice in that time. Yet, he has a knack for coming off the bench and scoring clutch goals.
In the final week of the Premier League season, he came off the bench and scored the winning goal against Newcastle, to keep Liverpool’s title hopes alive. When Salah was ruled out of the semi final with a concussion, Klopp turned to Origi to fill the void, and he was rewarded ten fold.
Moura was in a similar situation at Tottenham. He was purchased from Paris Saint Germain last season, where his form had ebbed and flowed. His playing time this year was limited, thanks to Heung Min-Son’s breakout season. Like Origi, he was given a golden chance to prove his merit, and took full advantage.
It’s games like these that make soccer so special. There’s something truly magical about watching a player transform from a fringe player, to a club legend overnight. As fans, we live for these games.
It’s likely that Origi and Moura will both get significant playing time in the final. If either player has a repeat performance, they could get a statue built in their honor.
Leave It On The Pitch 