The first thirty minutes were filled with a frenzied five goals.
Afterward, both head coaches realized their defensive problems and, as if by prior agreement, strengthened their defenses.
The match became dull, and the two sides engaged in a training exercise of offense and defense. The score remained unchanged until the end of the first half.
"Tottenham's resilience is very good. I feel like they have a chance."
"There's still half a match to go. I'm betting on Manchester City to finish the job in regular time."
The Liverpool players chatted about the match.
Klopp did not let this situation continue. With a wave of his hand, he instructed his players to focus on the match at hand.
But even as he said that, Klopp's heart was already with the other match at the Etihad.
The second half began.
With a 6-goal lead, Klopp substituted Tendou off in less than fifteen minutes into the second half.
Georginio Wijnaldum finally got some playing time.
Before Tendou joined, his life at Liverpool was quite good. But ever since Tendou came, his playing time had become very limited.
Therefore, after coming on, he put all his effort into the game.
He had already prepared to have a serious talk with Klopp in the summer, to discuss whether he was still in Liverpool's plans.
To put it bluntly, he wanted playing time. If things remained the same as this season, he hoped to transfer to a club where he could play.
The final score was 1:2.
Liverpool had almost no offensive presence in the second half, simply running out the clock and minimizing their running distance.
Porto's Otávio, on the other hand, created a penalty opportunity for his team in the 78th minute. He took the penalty himself and converted it, scoring a consolation goal to save some face.
With this, the two-legged match between Liverpool and Porto was over.
Liverpool won with an aggregate score of 7-2, eliminating the Portuguese giants.
Back in the locker room, the Liverpool players took out their phones to watch the live broadcast.
They found that the match between Manchester City and Tottenham had also ended.
In the end, Manchester City won 4:3 at home against Tottenham, giving the audience a goal-filled spectacle.
However, Tottenham's away goals advantage was too great. With a final aggregate score of 4:4, they had eliminated Manchester City.
Tottenham's Fernando had scored the crucial away goal for the team.
The match was over.
Inside the Etihad, under the astonished gaze of tens of thousands of Manchester City fans, Guardiola squatted in the technical area, unable to recover for a long time.
They had beaten Tottenham twice in the league, but in the most crucial Champions League, they were eliminated on the away goals rule in a two-legged tie.
This feeling of being just one step away from victory made the Manchester City players and fans incredibly frustrated.
The Tottenham players celebrated wildly.
This season, the only championship Tottenham had a chance to win was the Champions League.
And now, they had taken a firm step, and defeating the number one team had given them immense confidence.
They longed to add a metallic shine to their clean trophy cabinet.
"Those guys actually lost?" Arnold was a bit stunned.
Being eliminated from the Champions League meant that Manchester City's entire focus would now be on the Premier League title.
Liverpool no longer had any room for error if they wanted to win the league.
And their next Champions League opponent...
Tendou and the Liverpool players all turned their attention to the Camp Nou.
A day later, Manchester United went to the Camp Nou to challenge Barcelona away from home.
The Red Devils failed to create another miracle.
They were thrashed 3:0 by Barça away from home, losing 4:0 on aggregate.
And on the other side, Juventus.
The Zebra army led by CR7 was upset by Ajax at home, losing 3:2 on aggregate.
With that, the Champions League semi-finalists were revealed.
Upper bracket: Tottenham VS Ajax.
Lower bracket: Liverpool VS Barcelona.
Football fans all over the world involuntarily turned their attention to the lower bracket.
People even thought that the winner of this match between Liverpool and Barça would be the final winner of the Champions League.
This was not without reason.
One was the leader of the Premier League, and the other was the leader of La Liga.
This was a showdown between the strongest team in the Premier League this season and the strongest in La Liga.
The same went for the lineups. Compared to the two teams in the upper bracket, these two teams were much more powerful.
Liverpool's four aces against the likes of Lionel Messi and Lavinho was a much more anticipated matchup than Tottenham against Ajax.
And the first leg of the semi-finals would be held at Anfield on May 2nd.
"Our goal is the championship. No matter if our opponents are Bayern, Real Madrid, or Barça, we have to win. We can do it!"
"Believe in yourselves, gentlemen. We have the strength to defeat all opponents. The ones who should be afraid are them."
Klopp clapped his hands, bringing the players back to their senses.
For traditional giant clubs like Barça, their presence on the field is a kind of psychological pressure.
But Klopp was right. They had even invited Bayern for a "7-Up." There was nothing to be afraid of!
The Liverpool players got their spirits up and left Porto to return to Liverpool.
Three days later, they set off again, challenging Cardiff City away from home.
The current Cardiff City was ranked 18th in the Premier League, fighting in the relegation zone.
They were only 2 points behind the 17th-ranked Brighton.
One side was fighting for the title, the other was fighting to avoid relegation.
This match was destined to be difficult.
Speaking of Cardiff City, they were founded in 1899, one of the founders of the top flight in England. The club's history is closely tied to the Welsh capital, Cardiff.
And this brings up the topic of the World Cup.
Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England are all part of the United Kingdom.
But they all have the right to participate in the World Cup.
This is because they all have their own Football Associations and were all founding members of FIFA.
Therefore, they all have the right to participate in competitions held by FIFA.
When Liverpool arrived in Cardiff, they were given a "warm" welcome by the Welsh people.
This was not just because they were Cardiff City's opponents today, but also because of a historical grudge.
Although Wales, unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, did not have the desire for independence, the Welsh, like the Scottish and Northern Irish, did not have a strong sense of belonging to the UK.
They hated the high-and-mighty English and the Premier League teams!
...
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