On Saturday June 1st, 2019, two english sides took the field in the Champions League final for the second time in its history. The final was comprised of Liverpool FC and the London based Tottenham Hotspurs who had both overcome the odds in exhilarating semi-final matchups. Liverpool FC faced up against the formidable FC Barcelona led by none other than Lionel Messi while Tottenham came up against Ajax FC, victor of matches against both Juventus and Real Madrid. Both english teams had to boast unexplainable comebacks in order to reach the highest stage of this year's competition. With Liverpool losing 3-0 in Barcelona, they somehow managed to reverse the tide with a compelling 4-0 victory at Anfield. As for Tottenham they were staring down a 2-0 deficit with 45 minutes remaining and had to rely on a brilliant hat-trick by Lucas Moura to one-up their Dutch counterparts, demonstrating tremendous grit.
While the build up to this final may have been the best yet, the 90 minute match in Madrid has been dubbed the most boring in recent years. Liverpool struck early through a Mohamed Salah penalty and doubled their tally with Divock Origi’s clinical finish in the 87th minute (his third goal in as many shots during this campaign). As for Tottenham, for all their attacking firepower, they failed to create any substantial chances with the likes of Eriksen, Kane and Dele Alli being no match for Liverpool’s sturdy defence led by centre-back Virgil Van Dijk who has not been beaten by a single dribble the entire season, equating to roughly 60 games. All in all, Liverpool cruised to their 6th Champions League trophy and once again proved that defence wins championships.
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