Real Madrid defeated Liverpool on a night when thousands of traveling fans were locked out of the Stade de France and assaulted by French police. A day that began with such promise and hope ended in heartbreak for Liverpool.
If you want the whole picture, think heartbreak, rage, disbelief, and disgust, according to a Goal sports writer.
They were mistreated off the field and pickpocketed. Vinicius Junior’s second-half goal settled the Champions League final, ensuring that Real Madrid will win the club football’s most prestigious trophy for the 14th time.
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Liverpool’s players collapsed to the ground, broken. They had given everything they had, but it was insufficient. A game too far, you might say, but if it hadn’t been for Thibaut Courtois’ heroics, we’d be talking about the perfect end to a truly magnificent season for the Reds.
Instead, their incredible journey comes to an end here, in Paris, with disappointment. Close, but not quite sufficient. The harsh world of elite-level football condensed into a neat 90-minute package.
Nobody knows how they lost. Future theses should look into why they didn’t score. Courtois was incredible in the first half, denying Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, then again on three occasions in the second. Each save was unique, and each was critical.
Salah had six shots, more than any other player in a Champions League final, but he and Liverpool couldn’t get past the giant Belgian.
Meanwhile, their fans discovered how bad UEFA is at organizing large football events, and how unfriendly the French police can be to traveling supporters.
What happened outside the stadium should bring shame on the authorities, and an immediate – and thorough – investigation is required.
How did we get to this point, where the start of the biggest game in club football was delayed by more than 30 minutes because hundreds of Liverpool fans were stuck outside, waiting behind a locked gate?
How did we get to the point where those fans, who had legitimate tickets, were attacked with tear gas and pepper spray, and then UEFA held them up as the source of the problem?
Fans with tickets, locked out, tear gassed. Treated like dogs because the organisers didn’t organise. #LFC 🔴 #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/qXBzuo3qmH
— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) May 28, 2022
We were told inside the stadium that the game had been postponed because fans had “arrived late.” It was cynical and predictable, a clear attempt to shift blame away from those who deserved it. Organizers who failed to organize and blamed ordinary supporters for their mistakes.
Outside, the fans told us the truth, and we should listen to them. This was no tardiness, misbehavior, or anything sinister. It was supporters being treated like dogs at a European Cup final. “Unacceptable,” Liverpool said in a statement, also calling for a formal investigation into events outside the stadium.
UEFA’s response was to blame the problems on “fake tickets,” once again attempting to lay the blame at the feet of fans, many of whom missed some or all of the first half of the game, some of whom turned back and went home, their evening and weekend ruined before Real Madrid even had a chance to do it.
The truth is not difficult to discover. You can read it in the supporters’ accounts, but if you prefer, you can look back through Gary Lineker and Kelly Cates’ tweets. You could ask Joel Matip’s brother, Marvin, who was caught up in the chaos with his pregnant wife, or Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler, who spent the majority of the first half outside the stadium attempting to help his brother and son.
I’m not sure it’s possible to have a more poorly organised event if you tried. Absolutely shambolic and dangerous. @UEFAcom
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) May 28, 2022
What about Liverpool owner Mike Gordon, who was also present at the time? Other Liverpool employees were harmed. An Associated Press reporter was dragged into a hut and told to delete any video footage he had captured on his phone or his accreditation would be revoked.
Journalists were present to witness everything. UEFA can make as many statements as they want, but this is 2022, and everything is seen and captured. They, as well as the French authorities, must not be allowed to sweep this under the rug or, worse, pass the buck.
Liverpool’s players can only speculate on what might have been. After failing to win the Premier League last weekend, they have now failed to win the Champions League.
On Sunday, there will be a victory parade on Merseyside, and while they deserve the applause and adoration of their fans, Jurgen Klopp and his team will find it difficult to get up for it.
They will undoubtedly return. They’re simply too good not to. Their season will undoubtedly be judged harshly in the coming days by pundits and rival fans, but the fact remains that they came closer than any English team has ever come to achieving the impossible.
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One more point, one more goal, perhaps a less-than-stellar opposing goalkeeper, and they’d have everything.
As it stands, they must be content with the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, as well as the ride they have taken their fans on this season. It’s been incredible to report on, let alone live or play in it.
They can and will be proud when the dust settles. However, it will take some time. It broke their hearts in Paris, the city of love. They won’t forget tonight easily.
