Liverpool FC defeated its Spanish guest, Villarreal, 2-0, in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, and is close to reaching the final of the most expensive club competition.
Villarreal withstood the attacking tide of Liverpool in the first half, and showed signs of tactical superiority that allowed it to reach the semi-finals after defeating Juventus and Bayern Munich in the previous two rounds.
Al-Qaim confronts Thiago Alcantara's missile 😱# European_Champions League #Liverpool_Villarreal pic.twitter.com/CiOnH8lDfH
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) April 27, 2022
In the second half, captain Jordan Henderson put Liverpool ahead in the 53rd minute with a shot from the right, which guest goalkeeper Jeronimo Rulli could not stop after hitting the foot of his colleague, Ecuadorean defender Pervis Estopinan.
Two minutes later, the Egyptian Mohamed Salah sent a through pass inside the penalty area to Sadio Mane, who finished it in the net of the Villarreal goalkeeper from close range.
Sadio Mane shakes Villarreal and ignites the match!
🔥⚽️
Liverpool 2⃣-0⃣ Villarreal # Champions League # Liverpool_ Villarreal pic.twitter.com/KTmmhWkJc4
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) April 27, 2022
With this result, it is enough for Liverpool to lose by one goal in the return match, which will be held at Villarreal next Tuesday, in order to qualify for the final of the tournament in which it has won 6 times, the last of which was in 2019.
On the other hand, Villarreal must beat his English rival by at least 3 goals if he wants to continue his adventure in the competition, which he
dreams of winning for the first time in his history.
In the event that the return leg ends with Villarreal winning by two goals, the two teams will resort to an additional time of half an hour equally in two halves, and if
the same goal difference continues, the two teams will take penalty kicks.
It is noteworthy that the winner of that confrontation will set a date with the winner of the other semi-final match between Manchester City and Real Madrid, in the final match hosted by the Stade de France in the suburb of Saint-Denis in the capital, Paris, next month.
The first leg match that took place between the two teams on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium in England resulted in Manchester City's 4-3 victory over Real Madrid.