Champions League: Liverpool wins against Villarreal and takes a serious option on final

largely dominating, the English logically disposed of Villarreal in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League (2-0). The Reds are in favorable ballot before the return match in Spain, Tuesday May 3.

Le Monde with AFP

With patience and application but also a little boost of fate, Liverpool took a good option in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League by forcing the lock of Villarreal (2-0), Wednesday, April 27, in Anfield. For football lovers still on their little cloud after the incredible 4-3 between Manchester City and Real Madrid in the half, Tuesday, this match was a hard reminder of reality.

tactically, the spider web set up by the Spanish coach Unaï Emery, with his fetish 4-4-2, was certainly interesting to analyze and his team tried, a bit like against Bayern, to relaunch Clearly by sequences of passes long enough to flow time. But that almost never allowed him to cross the midline during the first 70 minutes, as the rebuilding of the Reds was ruthless from the first moments of the match.

The offensive aspect being sacrificed for the cause, there was above all to be defensively holding by controlling the red waves breaking on the “yellow submarine”. By densifying the axis of the land, Villarreal tried to repel Liverpool as quickly as possible to get it back along the key line, counting on its control towers, Pau Torres and Raul Albiol, for S ‘occupy to identify the centers. Attacking in front of his supporters in the first 45 minutes, Liverpool tried a lot with 12 shots, a record for a first period of semi-final of C1, without finding the bottom of the nets.

liverpool sure of his Force

sadio mané, with a head (12 e ) and a deflected shot at the entrance to the surface (33 e ) not framed, Luis Diaz with two strikes distant that Rulli had blocked in two stages (14 e ) then boxed (31 e ), and Mohamed Salah with two times too removed (27 e , 35 e ) had shown that the goal was within footing. This almost was the case of Thiago Alcantara, once again sparkling in the middle, and which found the exterior of the skylight of 25 meters (42 ^{e ).}

But, as it seemed written that this match would not definitely be dedicated to beautiful gestures, it is on a center of Jordan Henderson deflected by the left side Pervis Estupinan, lobant Rulli, that the deliverance came (1- 0, 53 e ). Two minutes later, Liverpool had the good taste to add a better constructed goal, with a very nice millimeter opening of Salah, extended from the pointed with the goal by Mané (2-0, 55 ^{e ) .}

This obviously forced the Valence region club to try more, but the difference in level between a title candidate in England and the 7 e of the liga, who entered C1 By winning the Europa Ligue in 2021, then looked away. Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp even took advantage of the end of the match to rest a little Trent Alexander -Arnold, Diaz, Mané – who was not very happy – and Henderson, before the trip to Newcastle on Saturday.

A third goal would have made it possible to consider the return, in six days, with even more serenity, but it is difficult to see how, even with the contribution of his audience to the Estadio de La Ceramica, Villarreal will be able to Take it to reverse a liverpool sure of its strength.