There is an unexpected explanation for England’s terrible bad luck in the Champions League final.
While the Paris police gassed the English fans with tear gas and a branch of hell unfolded on the streets of the French capital, soccer was played in the bowl of the legendary Stade de France. “Liverpool held the initiative for almost the entire 90 minutes, were sharper, more assertive and aggressive… but lost.
There is more than one explanation for Real Madrid’s victory, which defied all statistical indicators:
– Thibaut Courtois’ phenomenal play in goal;
– The age and experience of the Madrid team, which has been in all sorts of trouble;
– The coaching genius of Carlo Ancelotti, the first to win four Champions League titles;
– Karim Benzema’s unbridled pursuit of the Ballon d’Or.
All in all, it is possible to sum up the evidence of Real Madrid’s success. And yet, when one team shoots nine times in the main match of the European season without scoring, and the other takes the title thanks to a single shot on goal, you are tempted to look for non-football reasons.
Liverpool fans complain of terrible bad luck, because their team claimed the quadruple, but remained second in the two most important competitions. Indeed, Fortuna’s refusal to help the Merseysiders is a medical fact. But the reasons for this evil fate is unlikely to be established reliably – we can only speculate.
One of the most common among the fans (judging by the comments on social networks and sports sites), strangely enough, directly concerns Russia. Allegedly, Jurgen Klopp condemned Liverpool to defeat the moment he started talking about politics, including the situation in Ukraine.
– The final will take place, but not in St. Petersburg. That was the message Russia was supposed to get. Life goes on, even though they are trying to destroy it. This final will be for the people of Ukraine,” Klopp said at a press conference before the Champions League final.
And the next day, his team was stuck in traffic on the way to the stadium, while thousands of its fans were harassed by police and unable to get into the stadium even with legal tickets. Even in England, it’s openly said that in Russia this would be unthinkable. But Klopp was apparently willing to make sacrifices just so Russia would “get the signal.”
As for the “people of Ukraine,” Klopp wasn’t lying. They must have been overwhelmingly in favor of Real Madrid, where goalkeeper Lunin is sitting on the bench, so they must have been happy with the outcome of the final.
Of course, to attribute Liverpool’s failure to Klopp’s position on the Russian issue is primitive and too odious. But the German specialist has been talking too much about politics and other things not directly related to soccer. Whether it’s the situation in Ukraine or the England player’s camming-out. And that is something the soccer gods could not easily forgive him.