Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Liverpool reach Champions League final after nervy night in Rome

Liverpool reach Champions League final after nervy night in Rome

Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Salah and manager Jurgen Klopp hug after the Reds won their Champions League semifinal second leg with Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Wednesday night. AFP
Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Salah and manager Jurgen Klopp hug after the Reds won their Champions League semifinal second leg with Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Wednesday night. AFP

Liverpool reach Champions League final after nervy night in Rome

Liverpool held off a spirited Roma fightback to reach the Champions League final 7-6 on aggregate despite losing a hectic semifinal second leg in Rome on Wednesday night.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will play defending champions Real Madrid in Kiev on May 26 after qualifying for their eighth European Cup final and first since 2007.

The 4-2 defeat on the night in the Italian capital tested Liverpool’s nerves but they rarely looked in danger of losing the tie.

First-half goals from Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum put Liverpool in control as Roma conceded their first goals in the Stadio Olimpico during this European campaign.

Despite Radja Nainggolan bagging two goals for Roma in the final eight minutes – the second from the penalty spot – there was to be no second miracle comeback for the Italians after last month’s 3-0 win over Barcelona in Rome.

It was another bitter defeat for Roma who lost the 1984 European Cup final to Liverpool on penalties in the same stadium.

“It’s the first time we weren’t really as good as we can be. We needed luck and that is what we got,” said Klopp.

“Seven-six on aggregate sounds crazy because it is crazy. We came in as qualifiers and now we’re in the final and will go to Kiev.

“Roma are strong, we had them where we wanted, as they were wild, ran the risks, and we went 2-1 up. All good.

“But then we didn’t do enough on the counter, we didn’t use the space that they gave us and we lost the game after going 1-0 up already.”

Liverpool midfielder Sadio Mane scored past Roma goalkeeper Alisson after nine minutes. AFP
Liverpool midfielder Sadio Mane scored past Roma goalkeeper Alisson after nine minutes. AFP

Klopp said he was confident Liverpool could threaten 12-time winners Madrid in the final.

“We have to play much better than tonight – the good news is we can play much better than tonight,” he said.

Roma threatened early with Alessandro Florenzi sending the ball wide in the opening minutes but the hosts paid for woeful defending, giving Klopp’s side space to gain an early advantage.

Senegalese forward Mane got Liverpool off to a dream start after just nine minutes to the horror of the home fans.

A Nainggolan howler in midfield gave Roberto Firmino the opportunity to barge through, delivering the ball to an unmarked Mane who left Roma keeper Alisson with no chance.

But six minutes later Roma got the equaliser when Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren’s attempt to clear a Stephan El Shaarawy header towards Dzeko across goal came back off James Milner’s head, flying past Loris Karius and into the Liverpool goal.

Breathless finale

Liverpool’s ticket to the final in Kiev looked well and truly booked after 25 minutes when Wijnaldum nodded in.

Alisson denied an attempt from Mane, but from the resulting corner Dzeko’s attempt to clear fell to the waiting Dutchman and he made no mistake.

Stephan El Shaarawy rattled the post on 35 minutes with Florenzi also firing wide, and Pellegrini showed how not to take a free-kick, hitting it way off the mark.

Dzeko broke through seven minutes into the second half with the equaliser after Karius cleared the ball straight into the path of the Bosnian who fired in his eighth goal in 12 European matches.

And in a desperate scramble by the Italians in front of goal four minutes from time Nainggolan made up for his earlier blunders when he drilled a low shot into the bottom right corner from a distance for his first ever Champions League goal.

The Belgian midfielder added a second three minutes into injury time from a penalty, awarded for a bitterly contested handball by substitute Ragnar Klavan, firing into the roof of the net.

It was a dramatic finale for Eusebio di Francesco’s side, but it was too little too late as they failed to reach their first final since 1984 but earned a standing ovation from the 62,000 crowd.

“We have grown through this experience, but I have regrets because this team should have believed more in its chances, as I did, and we could have had more goals and pushed Liverpool even more,” Di Francesco said.

‘A final for Sean Cox’

Liverpool again leave Rome victorious after winning the European title twice, in 1977 as well as 1984, at the Stadio Olimpico.

The match had been overshadowed by off-pitch tensions after Liverpool supporter Sean Cox was left in a coma after being attacked before last week’s first leg in Anfield.

“It’s 100 percent a final for Sean Cox,” Klopp said.

“We said before the game we thought about it, now we’re here, all our prayers and wishes are with him.”

Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan scored a late penalty to make it 4-2 on the night. AFP
Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan scored a late penalty to make it 4-2 on the night. AFP

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • Struggling Battambang artist dreams of staging full-scale gallery exhibition

    Leav Kimchhoth, a 55-year-old artist from Battambang province, is a familiar face to locals and tourists alike on the streets of the riverside in Phnom Penh. The one-armed painter and illustrator often hawks his work near the night market on weekends and public holidays. He

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is

  • New Law on Taxation comes into effect

    Cambodia has enacted the eagerly-awaited new Law on Taxation, which aims to improve the national tax regime’s compliance with present and future international standards and economic conditions; encourage accountability, effectiveness and transparency in the collection process; and promote investment in the Kingdom. King Norodom