Liverpool clinch sixth title – Champions League 2018-19

Liverpool clinch sixth title – Champions League 2018-19

Liverpool were crowned winners of the Champions League in 2019, the first English champion in seven years, defeating Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side.

The final itself would prove to be a dull affair, as Liverpool were handed the initiative only moments into the game via a penalty awarded for a controversial Moussa Sissoko handball. Mohamed Salah rammed home the spot kick, while Divock Origi made it two late on to seal the win.

The most refreshing aspect of the tournament was the performances of Ajax, who rolled back the years to reach the semi-final – knocking out Juventus and defending champions Real Madrid in the process.

CHANGES

Juventus continued their relentless pursuit of the Champions League by acquiring the tournament’s most prolific scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo. Even at the age of 33, he commanded a fee in excess of €100 million. One of the biggest-spending teams of the summer were Liverpool, who built upon their final appearance in 2018 by signing Alisson from Roma and Fabinho from Monaco for large fees, while Naby Keita finally arrived from RB Leipzig.

Two of the most freely spending clubs in recent seasons, Manchester United and Real Madrid, didn’t splurge on any major transfers in the summer, and it showed as both had abject tournaments. For Madrid, they had a new head coach in place in Julen Lopetegui, who left Spain days before the World Cup in acrimonious circumstances.

SUMMARY

For eventual semi-finalists, Ajax, their Champions League campaign started earlier than most at the second qualifying stage, which took place at the end of July. They made it through three ties to reach the group stage proper, where they were drawn against Bayern, Benfica, and AEK Athens.

Ajax were one of only five teams who went through the group stage without losing a game, alongside Bayern, Porto, Barcelona, and Lyon.

The group stage was more competitive than in recent seasons, as no team secured maximum points, with Porto recording the most impressive total with 16…


Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/liverpool-clinch-sixth-title-champions-league-2018-19/26

Author : [email protected] (Martin Macdonald)

Publish date : 2024-07-24 15:00:00

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