Lightning doesn’t strike twice. That’s what they say. The week beginning Monday 6 May 2019 told a different story, though. It was a week when the Champions League produced two of the most outlandish and breathless climaxes the competition has known. First Liverpool and then Tottenham Hotspur defied expectations with revivals fit to rival Lazarus himself.
The European Cup has given us nearly seven decades of high drama. Whether it has ever conjured two such miracles in the space of 24 hours is a moot point as both Barcelona and Ajax saw three-goal leads evaporate into the electric night air. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “Football, bloody hell.”
First to Anfield on Tuesday 7 May, where Liverpool resumed their semi-final tie trailing Barcelona 3-0 from the first leg. Lionel Messi’s 82nd-minute free-kick for the third goal at the Camp Nou left Liverpool on their knees. Had Ousmane Dembélé not fluffed a late shot with just Alisson Becker to beat, the Reds would surely have been on the floor.
Liverpool down the years have bounced back off the canvas more than Rocky Balboa – think of those comebacks against St-Étienne in 1977 and Olympiacos in 2004. Yet, for this game, two of Jürgen Klopp’s front three, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, were missing.
In his seat in the stand, Salah wore a T-shirt bearing the message “Never give up”. An early Divock Origi goal offered a thread of hope... and it remained resistant as Alisson Becker made several big saves with the break approaching.
When Liverpool pulled off their Istanbul final miracle in 2005, the half-time introduction of Dietmar Hamann made a difference. Here it was Georginio Wijnaldum, coming on for the injured Andy Robertson. The Dutchman promptly scored twice in three minutes and suddenly Liverpool were level. The intensity in their play grew and the momentum too. Anfield believed. A crowd that has seen miracles can soon sense another. For Barcelona, the memory of squandering a three-goal lead against Roma a year earlier surfaced anew.
“I remember there was a special feeling around the club, around the game,” says Origi. “I remember watching the Game of Thrones finale, the last episode. I went to bed, woke up, had a good day, and a nap before the game, so I was feeling very positive. And then, when the game started, especially by the time we scored the first goal, I knew that we were in the groove. We had to enjoy that moment. So we did, and I did. I enjoyed it until the last moment.”
The Belgian had swapped Game of Thrones for a full-blown football fantasy, and there was no moment better than the 79th minute and his winner. The ball kids had been told to return the ball quickly to help maintain the intensity. Klopp’s analysts had noticed Barcelona’s players could be distracted when decisions went against them. From a swift corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold, the visitors were unprepared and Origi finished high into the net.
Reflecting afterwards on the feat of his “mentality monsters”, Klopp said: “This club has a big heart. Tonight it was pounding like crazy.”
At Tottenham’s hotel, they had watched Liverpool’s fightback and wondered. “We saw Liverpool and it just goes to show it’s not over until it’s over,” Danny Rose would say later, explaining how Mauricio Pochettino had told his players to draw belief from Liverpool’s exploits. “He just said, ‘That’s the right attitude.’”
The message didn’t transmit immediately. Ajax led 1-0 following the first leg in north London. By the 35th minute, their aggregate lead had stretched to three goals thanks to Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech. Yet, as with Liverpool, a half-time substitute would make the difference, big striker Fernando Llorente putting more pressure on the home centre-backs and creating space for Lucas Moura. And, again like Liverpool, two goals in swift succession – from Moura after 55 and 59 minutes – brought a big shot of belief.
“I believed and I had a lot of hope that we would win that match, that we would go through to the final,” said Moura. “But I didn’t imagine even in my wildest dreams that I would score three goals.”
The Brazilian completed his hat-trick deep into added time, not long after Ziyech had been denied the chance to finish Spurs off by the goalframe. There were 95 minutes and one second on the clock. Ajax had been ahead in the tie since the 15th minute of the first leg. Yet Spurs, thanks to the away-goals rule, had their miracle. “It was an explosion of emotion that ran through our bodies,” said Pochettino, who wept with joy.
Lightning really had struck twice.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice. That’s what they say. The week beginning Monday 6 May 2019 told a different story, though. It was a week when the Champions League produced two of the most outlandish and breathless climaxes the competition has known. First Liverpool and then Tottenham Hotspur defied expectations with revivals fit to rival Lazarus himself.
The European Cup has given us nearly seven decades of high drama. Whether it has ever conjured two such miracles in the space of 24 hours is a moot point as both Barcelona and Ajax saw three-goal leads evaporate into the electric night air. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “Football, bloody hell.”
First to Anfield on Tuesday 7 May, where Liverpool resumed their semi-final tie trailing Barcelona 3-0 from the first leg. Lionel Messi’s 82nd-minute free-kick for the third goal at the Camp Nou left Liverpool on their knees. Had Ousmane Dembélé not fluffed a late shot with just Alisson Becker to beat, the Reds would surely have been on the floor.
Liverpool down the years have bounced back off the canvas more than Rocky Balboa – think of those comebacks against St-Étienne in 1977 and Olympiacos in 2004. Yet, for this game, two of Jürgen Klopp’s front three, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, were missing.
In his seat in the stand, Salah wore a T-shirt bearing the message “Never give up”. An early Divock Origi goal offered a thread of hope... and it remained resistant as Alisson Becker made several big saves with the break approaching.
When Liverpool pulled off their Istanbul final miracle in 2005, the half-time introduction of Dietmar Hamann made a difference. Here it was Georginio Wijnaldum, coming on for the injured Andy Robertson. The Dutchman promptly scored twice in three minutes and suddenly Liverpool were level. The intensity in their play grew and the momentum too. Anfield believed. A crowd that has seen miracles can soon sense another. For Barcelona, the memory of squandering a three-goal lead against Roma a year earlier surfaced anew.
“I remember there was a special feeling around the club, around the game,” says Origi. “I remember watching the Game of Thrones finale, the last episode. I went to bed, woke up, had a good day, and a nap before the game, so I was feeling very positive. And then, when the game started, especially by the time we scored the first goal, I knew that we were in the groove. We had to enjoy that moment. So we did, and I did. I enjoyed it until the last moment.”
The Belgian had swapped Game of Thrones for a full-blown football fantasy, and there was no moment better than the 79th minute and his winner. The ball kids had been told to return the ball quickly to help maintain the intensity. Klopp’s analysts had noticed Barcelona’s players could be distracted when decisions went against them. From a swift corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold, the visitors were unprepared and Origi finished high into the net.
Reflecting afterwards on the feat of his “mentality monsters”, Klopp said: “This club has a big heart. Tonight it was pounding like crazy.”
At Tottenham’s hotel, they had watched Liverpool’s fightback and wondered. “We saw Liverpool and it just goes to show it’s not over until it’s over,” Danny Rose would say later, explaining how Mauricio Pochettino had told his players to draw belief from Liverpool’s exploits. “He just said, ‘That’s the right attitude.’”
The message didn’t transmit immediately. Ajax led 1-0 following the first leg in north London. By the 35th minute, their aggregate lead had stretched to three goals thanks to Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech. Yet, as with Liverpool, a half-time substitute would make the difference, big striker Fernando Llorente putting more pressure on the home centre-backs and creating space for Lucas Moura. And, again like Liverpool, two goals in swift succession – from Moura after 55 and 59 minutes – brought a big shot of belief.
“I believed and I had a lot of hope that we would win that match, that we would go through to the final,” said Moura. “But I didn’t imagine even in my wildest dreams that I would score three goals.”
The Brazilian completed his hat-trick deep into added time, not long after Ziyech had been denied the chance to finish Spurs off by the goalframe. There were 95 minutes and one second on the clock. Ajax had been ahead in the tie since the 15th minute of the first leg. Yet Spurs, thanks to the away-goals rule, had their miracle. “It was an explosion of emotion that ran through our bodies,” said Pochettino, who wept with joy.
Lightning really had struck twice.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice. That’s what they say. The week beginning Monday 6 May 2019 told a different story, though. It was a week when the Champions League produced two of the most outlandish and breathless climaxes the competition has known. First Liverpool and then Tottenham Hotspur defied expectations with revivals fit to rival Lazarus himself.
The European Cup has given us nearly seven decades of high drama. Whether it has ever conjured two such miracles in the space of 24 hours is a moot point as both Barcelona and Ajax saw three-goal leads evaporate into the electric night air. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “Football, bloody hell.”
First to Anfield on Tuesday 7 May, where Liverpool resumed their semi-final tie trailing Barcelona 3-0 from the first leg. Lionel Messi’s 82nd-minute free-kick for the third goal at the Camp Nou left Liverpool on their knees. Had Ousmane Dembélé not fluffed a late shot with just Alisson Becker to beat, the Reds would surely have been on the floor.
Liverpool down the years have bounced back off the canvas more than Rocky Balboa – think of those comebacks against St-Étienne in 1977 and Olympiacos in 2004. Yet, for this game, two of Jürgen Klopp’s front three, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, were missing.
In his seat in the stand, Salah wore a T-shirt bearing the message “Never give up”. An early Divock Origi goal offered a thread of hope... and it remained resistant as Alisson Becker made several big saves with the break approaching.
When Liverpool pulled off their Istanbul final miracle in 2005, the half-time introduction of Dietmar Hamann made a difference. Here it was Georginio Wijnaldum, coming on for the injured Andy Robertson. The Dutchman promptly scored twice in three minutes and suddenly Liverpool were level. The intensity in their play grew and the momentum too. Anfield believed. A crowd that has seen miracles can soon sense another. For Barcelona, the memory of squandering a three-goal lead against Roma a year earlier surfaced anew.
“I remember there was a special feeling around the club, around the game,” says Origi. “I remember watching the Game of Thrones finale, the last episode. I went to bed, woke up, had a good day, and a nap before the game, so I was feeling very positive. And then, when the game started, especially by the time we scored the first goal, I knew that we were in the groove. We had to enjoy that moment. So we did, and I did. I enjoyed it until the last moment.”
The Belgian had swapped Game of Thrones for a full-blown football fantasy, and there was no moment better than the 79th minute and his winner. The ball kids had been told to return the ball quickly to help maintain the intensity. Klopp’s analysts had noticed Barcelona’s players could be distracted when decisions went against them. From a swift corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold, the visitors were unprepared and Origi finished high into the net.
Reflecting afterwards on the feat of his “mentality monsters”, Klopp said: “This club has a big heart. Tonight it was pounding like crazy.”
At Tottenham’s hotel, they had watched Liverpool’s fightback and wondered. “We saw Liverpool and it just goes to show it’s not over until it’s over,” Danny Rose would say later, explaining how Mauricio Pochettino had told his players to draw belief from Liverpool’s exploits. “He just said, ‘That’s the right attitude.’”
The message didn’t transmit immediately. Ajax led 1-0 following the first leg in north London. By the 35th minute, their aggregate lead had stretched to three goals thanks to Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech. Yet, as with Liverpool, a half-time substitute would make the difference, big striker Fernando Llorente putting more pressure on the home centre-backs and creating space for Lucas Moura. And, again like Liverpool, two goals in swift succession – from Moura after 55 and 59 minutes – brought a big shot of belief.
“I believed and I had a lot of hope that we would win that match, that we would go through to the final,” said Moura. “But I didn’t imagine even in my wildest dreams that I would score three goals.”
The Brazilian completed his hat-trick deep into added time, not long after Ziyech had been denied the chance to finish Spurs off by the goalframe. There were 95 minutes and one second on the clock. Ajax had been ahead in the tie since the 15th minute of the first leg. Yet Spurs, thanks to the away-goals rule, had their miracle. “It was an explosion of emotion that ran through our bodies,” said Pochettino, who wept with joy.
Lightning really had struck twice.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice. That’s what they say. The week beginning Monday 6 May 2019 told a different story, though. It was a week when the Champions League produced two of the most outlandish and breathless climaxes the competition has known. First Liverpool and then Tottenham Hotspur defied expectations with revivals fit to rival Lazarus himself.
The European Cup has given us nearly seven decades of high drama. Whether it has ever conjured two such miracles in the space of 24 hours is a moot point as both Barcelona and Ajax saw three-goal leads evaporate into the electric night air. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “Football, bloody hell.”
First to Anfield on Tuesday 7 May, where Liverpool resumed their semi-final tie trailing Barcelona 3-0 from the first leg. Lionel Messi’s 82nd-minute free-kick for the third goal at the Camp Nou left Liverpool on their knees. Had Ousmane Dembélé not fluffed a late shot with just Alisson Becker to beat, the Reds would surely have been on the floor.
Liverpool down the years have bounced back off the canvas more than Rocky Balboa – think of those comebacks against St-Étienne in 1977 and Olympiacos in 2004. Yet, for this game, two of Jürgen Klopp’s front three, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, were missing.
In his seat in the stand, Salah wore a T-shirt bearing the message “Never give up”. An early Divock Origi goal offered a thread of hope... and it remained resistant as Alisson Becker made several big saves with the break approaching.
When Liverpool pulled off their Istanbul final miracle in 2005, the half-time introduction of Dietmar Hamann made a difference. Here it was Georginio Wijnaldum, coming on for the injured Andy Robertson. The Dutchman promptly scored twice in three minutes and suddenly Liverpool were level. The intensity in their play grew and the momentum too. Anfield believed. A crowd that has seen miracles can soon sense another. For Barcelona, the memory of squandering a three-goal lead against Roma a year earlier surfaced anew.
“I remember there was a special feeling around the club, around the game,” says Origi. “I remember watching the Game of Thrones finale, the last episode. I went to bed, woke up, had a good day, and a nap before the game, so I was feeling very positive. And then, when the game started, especially by the time we scored the first goal, I knew that we were in the groove. We had to enjoy that moment. So we did, and I did. I enjoyed it until the last moment.”
The Belgian had swapped Game of Thrones for a full-blown football fantasy, and there was no moment better than the 79th minute and his winner. The ball kids had been told to return the ball quickly to help maintain the intensity. Klopp’s analysts had noticed Barcelona’s players could be distracted when decisions went against them. From a swift corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold, the visitors were unprepared and Origi finished high into the net.
Reflecting afterwards on the feat of his “mentality monsters”, Klopp said: “This club has a big heart. Tonight it was pounding like crazy.”
At Tottenham’s hotel, they had watched Liverpool’s fightback and wondered. “We saw Liverpool and it just goes to show it’s not over until it’s over,” Danny Rose would say later, explaining how Mauricio Pochettino had told his players to draw belief from Liverpool’s exploits. “He just said, ‘That’s the right attitude.’”
The message didn’t transmit immediately. Ajax led 1-0 following the first leg in north London. By the 35th minute, their aggregate lead had stretched to three goals thanks to Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech. Yet, as with Liverpool, a half-time substitute would make the difference, big striker Fernando Llorente putting more pressure on the home centre-backs and creating space for Lucas Moura. And, again like Liverpool, two goals in swift succession – from Moura after 55 and 59 minutes – brought a big shot of belief.
“I believed and I had a lot of hope that we would win that match, that we would go through to the final,” said Moura. “But I didn’t imagine even in my wildest dreams that I would score three goals.”
The Brazilian completed his hat-trick deep into added time, not long after Ziyech had been denied the chance to finish Spurs off by the goalframe. There were 95 minutes and one second on the clock. Ajax had been ahead in the tie since the 15th minute of the first leg. Yet Spurs, thanks to the away-goals rule, had their miracle. “It was an explosion of emotion that ran through our bodies,” said Pochettino, who wept with joy.
Lightning really had struck twice.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice. That’s what they say. The week beginning Monday 6 May 2019 told a different story, though. It was a week when the Champions League produced two of the most outlandish and breathless climaxes the competition has known. First Liverpool and then Tottenham Hotspur defied expectations with revivals fit to rival Lazarus himself.
The European Cup has given us nearly seven decades of high drama. Whether it has ever conjured two such miracles in the space of 24 hours is a moot point as both Barcelona and Ajax saw three-goal leads evaporate into the electric night air. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “Football, bloody hell.”
First to Anfield on Tuesday 7 May, where Liverpool resumed their semi-final tie trailing Barcelona 3-0 from the first leg. Lionel Messi’s 82nd-minute free-kick for the third goal at the Camp Nou left Liverpool on their knees. Had Ousmane Dembélé not fluffed a late shot with just Alisson Becker to beat, the Reds would surely have been on the floor.
Liverpool down the years have bounced back off the canvas more than Rocky Balboa – think of those comebacks against St-Étienne in 1977 and Olympiacos in 2004. Yet, for this game, two of Jürgen Klopp’s front three, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, were missing.
In his seat in the stand, Salah wore a T-shirt bearing the message “Never give up”. An early Divock Origi goal offered a thread of hope... and it remained resistant as Alisson Becker made several big saves with the break approaching.
When Liverpool pulled off their Istanbul final miracle in 2005, the half-time introduction of Dietmar Hamann made a difference. Here it was Georginio Wijnaldum, coming on for the injured Andy Robertson. The Dutchman promptly scored twice in three minutes and suddenly Liverpool were level. The intensity in their play grew and the momentum too. Anfield believed. A crowd that has seen miracles can soon sense another. For Barcelona, the memory of squandering a three-goal lead against Roma a year earlier surfaced anew.
“I remember there was a special feeling around the club, around the game,” says Origi. “I remember watching the Game of Thrones finale, the last episode. I went to bed, woke up, had a good day, and a nap before the game, so I was feeling very positive. And then, when the game started, especially by the time we scored the first goal, I knew that we were in the groove. We had to enjoy that moment. So we did, and I did. I enjoyed it until the last moment.”
The Belgian had swapped Game of Thrones for a full-blown football fantasy, and there was no moment better than the 79th minute and his winner. The ball kids had been told to return the ball quickly to help maintain the intensity. Klopp’s analysts had noticed Barcelona’s players could be distracted when decisions went against them. From a swift corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold, the visitors were unprepared and Origi finished high into the net.
Reflecting afterwards on the feat of his “mentality monsters”, Klopp said: “This club has a big heart. Tonight it was pounding like crazy.”
At Tottenham’s hotel, they had watched Liverpool’s fightback and wondered. “We saw Liverpool and it just goes to show it’s not over until it’s over,” Danny Rose would say later, explaining how Mauricio Pochettino had told his players to draw belief from Liverpool’s exploits. “He just said, ‘That’s the right attitude.’”
The message didn’t transmit immediately. Ajax led 1-0 following the first leg in north London. By the 35th minute, their aggregate lead had stretched to three goals thanks to Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech. Yet, as with Liverpool, a half-time substitute would make the difference, big striker Fernando Llorente putting more pressure on the home centre-backs and creating space for Lucas Moura. And, again like Liverpool, two goals in swift succession – from Moura after 55 and 59 minutes – brought a big shot of belief.
“I believed and I had a lot of hope that we would win that match, that we would go through to the final,” said Moura. “But I didn’t imagine even in my wildest dreams that I would score three goals.”
The Brazilian completed his hat-trick deep into added time, not long after Ziyech had been denied the chance to finish Spurs off by the goalframe. There were 95 minutes and one second on the clock. Ajax had been ahead in the tie since the 15th minute of the first leg. Yet Spurs, thanks to the away-goals rule, had their miracle. “It was an explosion of emotion that ran through our bodies,” said Pochettino, who wept with joy.
Lightning really had struck twice.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice. That’s what they say. The week beginning Monday 6 May 2019 told a different story, though. It was a week when the Champions League produced two of the most outlandish and breathless climaxes the competition has known. First Liverpool and then Tottenham Hotspur defied expectations with revivals fit to rival Lazarus himself.
The European Cup has given us nearly seven decades of high drama. Whether it has ever conjured two such miracles in the space of 24 hours is a moot point as both Barcelona and Ajax saw three-goal leads evaporate into the electric night air. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “Football, bloody hell.”
First to Anfield on Tuesday 7 May, where Liverpool resumed their semi-final tie trailing Barcelona 3-0 from the first leg. Lionel Messi’s 82nd-minute free-kick for the third goal at the Camp Nou left Liverpool on their knees. Had Ousmane Dembélé not fluffed a late shot with just Alisson Becker to beat, the Reds would surely have been on the floor.
Liverpool down the years have bounced back off the canvas more than Rocky Balboa – think of those comebacks against St-Étienne in 1977 and Olympiacos in 2004. Yet, for this game, two of Jürgen Klopp’s front three, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, were missing.
In his seat in the stand, Salah wore a T-shirt bearing the message “Never give up”. An early Divock Origi goal offered a thread of hope... and it remained resistant as Alisson Becker made several big saves with the break approaching.
When Liverpool pulled off their Istanbul final miracle in 2005, the half-time introduction of Dietmar Hamann made a difference. Here it was Georginio Wijnaldum, coming on for the injured Andy Robertson. The Dutchman promptly scored twice in three minutes and suddenly Liverpool were level. The intensity in their play grew and the momentum too. Anfield believed. A crowd that has seen miracles can soon sense another. For Barcelona, the memory of squandering a three-goal lead against Roma a year earlier surfaced anew.
“I remember there was a special feeling around the club, around the game,” says Origi. “I remember watching the Game of Thrones finale, the last episode. I went to bed, woke up, had a good day, and a nap before the game, so I was feeling very positive. And then, when the game started, especially by the time we scored the first goal, I knew that we were in the groove. We had to enjoy that moment. So we did, and I did. I enjoyed it until the last moment.”
The Belgian had swapped Game of Thrones for a full-blown football fantasy, and there was no moment better than the 79th minute and his winner. The ball kids had been told to return the ball quickly to help maintain the intensity. Klopp’s analysts had noticed Barcelona’s players could be distracted when decisions went against them. From a swift corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold, the visitors were unprepared and Origi finished high into the net.
Reflecting afterwards on the feat of his “mentality monsters”, Klopp said: “This club has a big heart. Tonight it was pounding like crazy.”
At Tottenham’s hotel, they had watched Liverpool’s fightback and wondered. “We saw Liverpool and it just goes to show it’s not over until it’s over,” Danny Rose would say later, explaining how Mauricio Pochettino had told his players to draw belief from Liverpool’s exploits. “He just said, ‘That’s the right attitude.’”
The message didn’t transmit immediately. Ajax led 1-0 following the first leg in north London. By the 35th minute, their aggregate lead had stretched to three goals thanks to Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech. Yet, as with Liverpool, a half-time substitute would make the difference, big striker Fernando Llorente putting more pressure on the home centre-backs and creating space for Lucas Moura. And, again like Liverpool, two goals in swift succession – from Moura after 55 and 59 minutes – brought a big shot of belief.
“I believed and I had a lot of hope that we would win that match, that we would go through to the final,” said Moura. “But I didn’t imagine even in my wildest dreams that I would score three goals.”
The Brazilian completed his hat-trick deep into added time, not long after Ziyech had been denied the chance to finish Spurs off by the goalframe. There were 95 minutes and one second on the clock. Ajax had been ahead in the tie since the 15th minute of the first leg. Yet Spurs, thanks to the away-goals rule, had their miracle. “It was an explosion of emotion that ran through our bodies,” said Pochettino, who wept with joy.
Lightning really had struck twice.
