It ain't over 'til it's over.
Yogi Berra's famous words are certainly applicable for what happened across the Atlantic in Liverpool, England, on Tuesday. Liverpool FC was set to take on Barcelona FC in the second leg of the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League — a massive, months-long tournament in which the top club teams from Europe compete against each other. But things looked really bleak for the English side.
In the first leg of the matchup last Wednesday, Barcelona won 3-0 after a dazzling display from superstar Lionel Messi, who scored the match's final two goals. In the Champions League, the winner of a round is based on the aggregate score of the two matches, so Liverpool entered Tuesday's contest down big. They were without two of their best players, the world-renowned Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who were both injured.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But — and forgive yet another cliché — that's why they play the game. Liverpool, stormed back to win 4-0 behind two goals each from Divock Origi and Georgino Wijnaldum, securing a 4-3 aggregate victory to advance to the final on June 1. Origi's second goal came in the 79th minute off a corner kick.
Now, Liverpool — who were runners-up in last year's Champions League — will await the winner of the other semifinal between English Premier League rival Tottenham and the tournament's Dutch Cinderella, Ajax, from Amsterdam. Those two will square off on Wednesday with Ajax holding a 1-0 lead.
-
Music reviews: Chance the Rapper, Cass McCombs, and Molly TuttleFeature "Star Line," "Interior Live Oak," and "So Long Little Miss Sunshine"
-
Film reviews: Eden and Honey Don't!Feature Seekers of a new utopia spiral into savagery and a queer private eye prowls a high-desert town
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitionsFeature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
-
Trump orders NFL team to change name, or elseSpeed Read The president wants the Washington Commanders to change its name back to the 'Redskins'
-
Thunder beat Pacers to clinch NBA FinalsSpeed Read Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals
-
MLB lifts ban on Pete Rose, other dead playersspeed read 16 deceased players banned for gambling and other scandals can now be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
-
Canada beats US in charged 4 Nations hockey finalSpeed Read 'You can't take our country — and you can't take our game,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted after the game
-
Eagles trounce Chiefs in Super Bowl LIXspeed read The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22
-
Indian teen is youngest world chess championSpeed Read Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, unseated China's Ding Liren
-
Europe roiled by attacks on Israeli soccer fansSpeed Read Israeli fans supporting the Maccabi Tel Aviv team clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters in 'antisemitic attacks,' Dutch authorities said
-
New York wins WNBA title, nearly nabs World SeriesSpeed Read The Yankees with face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming Fall Classic
