He did not play this time as a starter. But Colombian Luis Diaz is largely responsible for Liverpool being able to take a deep breath and celebrate qualifying for the Champions League final on May 28 in Paris. The peasant helped a lot in a brilliant second half, scored a goal and is excited about getting the biggest title of his career.
The English, who had arrived with a two-goal advantage from the first leg, had a very bad time at the beginning. Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool coach, had already warned about it, in the midst of overflowing optimism: “We know that, if we start off on the wrong foot, everything can get complicated. We don’t have to think about the past, we have to be prepared to suffer and pay attention to each move. We have to go out to press and know how to suffer. React if the time comes to do so, “he said on Monday. And so it came out.
(You may be interested in: Luis Díaz: the ‘gift bag’ that surprised Liverpool at Villarreal)
Without Díaz, a first time to forget
Villarreal went out to play with everything, to take Liverpool ahead, knowing that he had nothing to lose and that, if he managed to scare his rival early, the picture could change. And after 3 minutes, the La Cerámica stadium scoreboard already registered a local goal, after a beautiful cross from Ecuadorian Pervis Estupiñán that Etienne Capoue received at the far post to touch the center and enable Boulaye Dia, who scored the first.
Liverpool felt the blow, Villarreal had him on the ropes and he scored the series-tying goal in the 40th minute, when Francis Coquelin headed in a great cross from Capoue.
At that point, what Klopp had proposed, a team to have a direct game, less dribbling and control over a team that was going to come at him, no longer had a reason to be. Then came the tweak to the payroll in the dressing room, with the entry of Díaz by Diogo Jota. And the game was then more similar to Anfield than to the terrible first half of La Cerámica.
Already Villarreal did not do the same as in the first stage, feeling the effort of everything that ran and fought at the beginning. Liverpool, little by little, was putting it in his area and the discount fell from maturity, until, After 17 minutes, Fabinho received a clearance from Mohamed Salah and put the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. Already the series favored the English again.
Diaz’s great goal brought calm to Liverpool
Shortly before, Díaz had had a chance to scissor it, as he did in the Copa América against Brazil. But later, the Colombian was much more practical and at 22, after a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold, the farmer calculated better, stuck his head in and opened the second tunnel of the night for Rulli. Great goal!
(In context: here you can see Luis Díaz’s goal against Villarreal)
Villarreal was already very played and Liverpool found the space to score the third, in a lousy start by Rulli, who ended up running about 20 meters behind Sadio Mané, who finished with an empty goal to score 2-3, at 29 of the second half.
The rest of the game was one of resignation and gratitude on the part of the local fans, who applauded every action, even when Capoue was sent off, at 40, for a double warning. And Liverpool already controlled things better. After all, he has the experience of two finals with Klopp, one that he lost against Real Madrid and another that he beat Tottenham. This time, Díaz has a serious chance of being the first Colombian to win the Champions League by playing in the final, something neither Iván Córdoba, with Inter, nor James Rodríguez, with Real Madird, could do. The peasant dreams very, very big,
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