By Mariano López V.
Vila-real is a Spanish city with only 51,000 inhabitants. Most, if not all, are fans of Villarreal, semifinalist and great surprise of the current Champions League. The expectation surrounding the visit of the 'Yellow Submarine' to Liverpool was huge, and with sufficient foundation: the team led by Unai Emery had just defeated Juventus and Bayern Munich, two giants of European football, in a categorical way. And why couldn't Liverpool be next?
The National Police and the Government got to work: in just seven days, local immigration offices managed to issue more than 1,300 passports so that 'groguets' fans can accompany their team in England. They arrived at Anfield, wore their colors with pride, and cheered unconditionally, but they collided with an irrefutable football reality. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool - League Cup champion, FA Cup finalist, and second, by one point, in the Premier League - was superior. Very superior.
YOU CAN SEE: Jordan Henderson doesn't trust Villarreal: “The tie is still alive”
The course of the match was in line with what each team had shown throughout the Champions League: Liverpool dominated the actions, always creating danger on the wings, while Villarreal relied on direct play, with two fast men up front, both hoping for a lethal counterattack. That never happened and the first half, despite the obvious 'red' superiority, ended 0-0. However, the opening goal was a matter of time. A cross from Jordan Henderson deflected off Ecuadorian defender Pervis Estupiñán (53') and ended up in the Spanish net. Two minutes later, Mohamed Salah played a through ball for Sadio Mané to score his 20th goal of the season and secure the 2-0 final score.
In this way, the Merseyside team will visit Villarreal next Tuesday (2:00 p.m.) with a more than important advantage, considering that they have progressed in 13 out of the 14 Champions League knockout rounds where they won the first leg. Will it happen again?
YOU CAN SEE: Thiago Alcántara said they had "patience" to get the victory against Villarreal
The word
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool coach
"We are at halftime. Nothing has happened yet. If you play a game and go 2-0 at halftime, you have to stay 100% alert. We will go there knowing that it will be a complicated environment for us."