Champions League final 2022: Ratings and analysis as Courtois’ heroics lead Real Madrid to win over Liverpool
Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid (Vinicius Jr 59′)
Real Madrid defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final for the second time in five seasons after Vinicius Jr’s second-half strike secured the Spanish club’s 14th title in the competition.
It was a night that typified Real’s 2021-22 European campaign as they found themselves pinned back by their opponents for large periods only to take their big chance when it presented itself.
Amid all the talk of Karim Benzema and Luka Modric’s outstanding performances, Thibaut Courtois has been somewhat overlooked, but he has been as integral to their success as anyone else and saved his best display for the biggest stage of all. The Belgian was the man of the match in Paris, by a considerable distance.
The evening was overshadowed by the heavy-handed behaviour of the French police before the game, with Liverpool supporters reporting that they were tear-gassed as they attempted to enter the Stade De France. The match was scheduled to kick-off at 8pm but was delayed for more than half an hour as thousands of fans were unable to take their seats.
Liverpool started in authoritative fashion, evidenced by Ibrahima Konate’s expert marshalling of Vinicius Jr by the touchline in the opening stages, and as would become a theme of the night, had the first meaningful chances to score.
Courtois reacted quickly to prevent a deft Mo Salah touch from nestling in the bottom corner, before denying the Egyptian again with a more routine save less than a minute later. Better was to come as he made a magnificent finger-tip stop to divert Sadio Mane’s strike onto the inside of the post with the rebound squirting to safety.
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 28, 2022
Liverpool’s superiority was made apparent by the shot count after 34 minutes which read 8-0 in their favour and 5-0 for efforts on target, after Salah headed a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross straight at Courtois. It wasn’t until two minutes later that a Real Madrid player even had a touch of the ball in Liverpool’s box, after a rare foray forward.
Player ratings
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson 6, Alexander-Arnold 6, Konate 8, Van Dijk 7, Robertson 6, Fabinho 7, Henderson 6 (Keita 6), Thiago 7 (Firmino 6), Salah 7, Diaz 6 (Jota 6), Mane 7
Real Madrid (4-3-1-2): Courtois 10, Carvajal 8, Militao 7, Alaba 6, Mendy 6, Casemiro 8, Valverde 7 (Camavinga 6), Kroos 6, Modric 7 (Ceballos 6), Benzema 6, Vinicius Jr 7 (Rodrygo 6)
Man of the match: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
But as they have demonstrated time and again this campaign, Real always carry a threat no matter how much pressure they find themselves under. Just before half-time Karim Benzema swept a finish into the net after a misjudgement between Alisson and Konate only for the VAR to intervene and rule him offside after a lengthy stoppage.
The length of time it took to reach a judgement showed it was anything but clear cut. The ball pinballed from Alisson onto Konate and then Fabinho before falling at the feet of Benzema to score. According to former Premier League referee Peter Walton, the goal was disallowed as Fabinho had unintentionally knocked the ball into Benzema’s path while the striker was in an offside position.
Analysis: Alexander Arnold’s flaws exposed by Vinicius
By Daniel Storey, i chief football writer
The longer Liverpool played Battleships, guessing at squares without ever quite sinking their teeth into something to give them real heart, Ancelotti knew that his time would come. His team created exactly the type of chance that Liverpool never did: teasing ball across the face, an attacker running onto the ball rather than stood still, sloppy marking that turns half-chance into simple one.
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 28, 2022
Charge up the great Trent Alexander-Arnold defensive debate one more time this season. Either Liverpool’s right-back doesn’t even look to see Vinicius Junior’s run or he looks once and then fails to cover it. Either way, it cost Liverpool. For all his surging attacking majesty and his set-piece delivery, it is an identified flaw that the best opponents will look to exploit. It had been previewed extensively as the key individual battle. The wisdom of the crowd principle strikes again.
Read Daniel’s full analysis from the Stade de France here
Liverpool continued to look the likelier to open the scoring, but after failing to make their dominance count they inevitably fell behind. Federico Valverde darted down the right wing before sliding a low cross to the back post where Vinicius was lurking to apply the finishing touch into an empty net. Questions will be asked of Alexander-Arnold’s reading of the situation as the winger sneaked in behind him to score.
Courtois continued his fine evening’s work by flying to his right to palm a goal-bound, curling Salah effort to safety and denied the Liverpool forward for the umpteenth time again when he flicked a Diogo Jota header instinctively towards goal. And just as in the first-half, Courtois made a miraculous stop to prevent a certain goal by deflecting a Salah shot wide to preserve his clean sheet and ensure a win for his team.
According to Opta, Courtois’ nine saves were the most made by any goalkeeper in a Champions League final since records began in 2003-04.
Carlo Ancelotti was suitably impressed. “Trust me, I can’t believe what Thibaut Courtois did tonight, guys. Unbelievable!” he said afterwards. The Real Madrid boss was also asked he had ever seen a goalkeeping performance like Courtois’ before, to which he replied: “Yes… from Courtois.”
Legendary former Real and Spain keeper Iker Casillas tweeted: “It’s been a while since I remembered such a decisive goalkeeper in a final of the Champions League.”
Courtois’ heroics went a significant way to ensuring yet another historic night for the Champions League’s most decorated club.
Courtois: I don’t get enough respect… especially in England
Courtois has won plenty of honours during his career but a Champions League winners’ medal had eluded him up until Saturday night.
And afterwards, he admitted that he needed to lift the biggest prize of all to silence his critics, taking aim at those in England specifically.
“Yesterday I said that when Madrid plays in finals they win and I’m on the good side of history,” Courtois told BT Sport.
“I saw a lot of tweets coming my way that I will get humbled today, it was the other way around. I think today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the hard to work, to put respect on my name because I don’t think I have enough respect, especially in England.
"Today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the hard work, to put some respect on my name, because I don't think I get enough respect. Especially in England." ????
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 28, 2022
“I saw a lot of criticism even after a great season that I was not good enough or whatever so I’m just really happy and proud of the performance of the team. We stuck to it and when I needed to be there I was there for the team.
“I think we beat the best clubs in the world together with us. City and Liverpool they were unbelievable this season, they fought until the end in the Premier League, they won two cups Liverpool and were really strong.
“But I played a great game and that was the difference today because we had one chance and we scored it.”
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