Tuesday, May 3 and Wednesday, May 4 were magical nights in two cities in Spain, raising the poser among lovers of the beautiful game which of the two big leagues (La Liga and Premier League) is the greatest. Interestingly, the fixtures brought to the fore the aforementioned poser with Liverpool as visitors to Villarreal on Tuesday and Manchester City against the most decorated UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid. If Real Madrid beats Liverpool at the Stade de France Stadium, it would be appropriate to say categorically that La Liga is better than the Premier League. It won’t be a farce because Real Madrid has beaten Chelsea in the quarter-finals and Manchester City in the semi-finals en route to qualifying for the final game.
Both matches proved clearly that the eventual winners for the May 28 final game in Paris would have emerged from players who know how to win the big encounters. Citizens’ loss is the most painful. Wao! Football is a cruel game. Not many people gave Villarreal a dog chance of frightening Liverpool in the second leg, given the way the homeboys in Spain allowed the Reds to run the rule in the first game at Anfield. Liverpool dominated the first leg with Villarreal players unable to make their hosts suffer. The Spaniards had no shot at goal. Liverpool’s dominance was such that goalkeeper Alisson could have been given a stool to sit in front of his goalpost since Villarreal’s stars developed clay feet. Pundits gave the second leg to Liverpool, But the beautiful game has its own rhythm which most times are mystical.
Ironically, the Yellow Submarines rose to the occasion in the return game scoring their first goal in the third minute and their second in the 41st ending the testy game in the first half in a 2-0 advantage. The third goal for Villarreal would have eliminated Liverpool from the competition, except they rose to the challenge. The hosts forgot their scoring boots inside the dressing room during the recess period. It also left a burden on the Yellow Submarines to hit the Reds groggy with goals. This setting threw the game open with the hosts unable to manage their game time. And Villarreal paid for it dearly. With the aggregate scores at 2-2 as they walked onto the pitch, it was obvious that a Liverpool fightback was in the offing. It was just a matter of when the goals would come for the rampaging Reds in the second half.
Watching the Villarreal versus Liverpool tie on television on Tuesday, it was obvious that Jurgen Klopp was restless in the first half. He kept looking at his wristwatch. His players were running into the defensive web laid in wait for his strikers. Something had to give and it came from Klopp’s decision to substitute Jota with Luis Dias. It was an Oscar move as it corrected and addressed the Reds’ first half flaws. Two goals in swift succession saw Liverpool regain its first-leg advantage at 4-2 much to the consternation of the game’s lovers. Dias’ goal which was the Reds’ second paved the way for the intelligent goal delivered into the net by Sadio Mane. Mane outran a Villarreal player before dribbling past the Yellow Submarines’ goalkeeper and tapping the ball into the empty net. Did anyone call Liverpool’s game against Villarreal a comeback exercise? No way. Not in the mould of Real Madrid’s in the competition’s history.
A lot was expected from Liverpool players. They needed to tell their fans that they were up to the Villarreal threat. Indeed, the players and the fans are in tandem with the resolve to win four trophies this season, having won the Carabao Cup, beating Chelsea 11-10 on penalties at Wembley. And with the English FA Cup against Chelsea on May 14 at Wembley, the boys showed their worth by running the Spanish side haggard with quality goals.
Thirteen victories from 17 cup final appearances make Real Madrid the most successful European club in the UEFA Champions League. It is obvious Benzema would be the highest goal scorer in this season’s Champions League with15 goals. His closest rival is Salah with eight goals. The May 28 final game in France is the type of game where the outcome could very well determine which player is awarded the Ballon d’Or as Europe’s best player when the prize is handed out in October.
Overall, Benzema has tallied 43 goals in 43 games, an impressive pace that took place across the UCL and La Liga, making him the early odds-on favourite to win the Ballon d’Or. Salah has scored 30 goals in 45 games, which includes 22 in the Premier League. It must be stated here that Benzema and Salah have made Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo irrelevant in the choice of players to lift this 2021/2022 season’s Balon D’Or which would be given to the next winner in October.
“I want to play Madrid,” he told BT Sport after Liverpool sealed a 5-2 aggregate semi-final win over Villarreal on Tuesday. “I have to be honest. Man City is a really tough team, we play against them a few times this season. But if you ask me personally I would prefer Madrid.”
Comeback victories became a lingo in UEFA Champions League on March 8 2017 with Barcelona’s famous recovery against Paris Saint-Germain. But this season, comeback wins are more applicable to Real Madrid in each Champions League knock-out round en route to a 17th European Cup final in Paris. Incredible, Benzema has played a decisive role in each tie.
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