Despite getting his hands on the UCL trophy, Mohamed Salah seems to have not forgotten the painful experience of losing to Real Madrid in 2018.
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Liverpool reached their third Champions League final in an emphatic fashion against Villarreal. Trailing 2-0 down at half-time, the Reds suddenly found themselves level on aggregate with the Spanish side. However, an inspired comeback in the second half with goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane helped them win the match 3-2 and reach the final on a 5-2 aggregate. This is the third Champions League final Liverpool will be playing under Jurgen Klopp’s management. In 2018 final, they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid, but they made up for it by winning the title next year in 2019 against Tottenham Hotspur 2-0.
Despite getting his hands on the trophy, Mohamed Salah seems to have not forgotten the painful experience of losing to Real Madrid in 2018. For Salah, the final in Kiev was an unforgettable experience in its own regard, as he had to be forced off with a shoulder injury in the first half against Madrid. Four years later, revenge is still on the mind of the Egyptian forward, hence he wants to take on Madrid in the final over Manchester City.
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“I want to play Madrid, I have to be honest,” Salah told BT Sport after securing their passage to the Champions League final. “City is a really tough team. We played against them a few times this season. But I think, if you ask me personally, I prefer Madrid, because we lost in the final [to them], so I want to play against them and hopefully we will win it.”
This year’s final will turn out to be an intriguing affair for the fans irrespective of which team reaches the Championship match. Both Real Madrid and Manchester City have the capability to put up a tough fight for Liverpool. On Tuesday night though Liverpool did their job and now all they can do is patiently wait to find out their opponents. Salah may have not gotten on the scoresheet but he still played a crucial role in Spain to provide the assist for Fabinho’s goal at the start of the second half against Villarreal.
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“It was tough in the first half but then we went to the dressing room. The gaffer talked and we talked to each other as well. That shows character and personality in the dressing room. It shows that we are a top team. That’s why we can strike back after losing 2-0 in the first half. I think it makes the win more exciting,” he added.
Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has now reached the Champions League final four times. Thrice he has managed it with the Reds and his first time came in 2013 when he led Borussia Dortmund to the final. In an all-German showpiece, Bayern Munich defeated Dortmund 2-1 back then. “It feels like the first in 20 [years],” Klopp told BT Sport. “It’s outstanding, because we obviously made it a little tricky for ourselves, but we knew these kind of things could happen.”
