MADRID • Mauricio Pochettino admitted "it was very tough" on his Tottenham side after a 23-second penalty conceded by Moussa Sissoko meant three weeks of planning effectively went out the window from the kick-off.
Having worked wonders to get Spurs to their first Champions League final, especially after becoming the only club in Premier League history not to sign a player in the last two transfer windows, the club manager was hopeful the footballing gods would smile upon his team in Madrid on Saturday.
But a moment of folly from Sissoko, who was adjudged to have handled in the box, laid waste to his tactical preparations, allowing Liverpool to keep his players in check, with Mohamed Salah converting the spot kick.
Jurgen Klopp's team were far from their free-flowing best, the Reds never really had to get out of second gear as the early goal enabled them to shut up shop, again proving why they had the best defensive record in England this term.
Although Spurs offered more of a threat after the break, they were reduced to speculative strikes from long range and their first shot on target came only in the 74th minute.
Alisson was also a safe pair of hands in goal, comfortably dealing with subsequent shots from Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen and substitute Lucas Moura.
After the 2-0 defeat - substitute Divock Origi added a second late on - Pochettino insisted he was "so proud of my players" as they "were unlucky" before defending his decision to start Harry Kane and Harry Winks, who were quiet on the night, with the pair missing the league run-in through injury.
He said: "Finals are about winning, not about playing well - it's not tactics. To start 1-0 down from the start was tough, we changed our plans. That was the circumstance we cannot manage or prepare for. You can never believe you will be 1-0 down after a minute.
"To concede a penalty after 20 seconds has a massive impact. It's so painful, but we need to keep going. Of course, it's going to be tough but, after a few hours, we need to change our minds and be positive.
"My decisions were all about analytics and thinking, and all of the information."
While the decision to award the penalty looked slightly harsh, with the ball appearing to hit Sissoko first on the chest before striking his upper arm, it was the correct one.
Uefa's chief refereeing officer Robert Rossetti had told the Times of London in January that with the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the Champions League this season, officials "would penalise any unnatural arm movement that makes contact with the ball".
That was why referee Damir Skomina had no hesitation to point to the spot as Sissoko already had his arm up when Sadio Mane crossed the ball - and a quick referral to the VAR corroborated the call.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand also blasted the France midfielder for "making the decision easy".
The pundit told BT Sport: "When it's up in the air in the penalty area, you're asking for trouble. I don't know why his hand is up there - whom is he talking to?"
Pochettino will now have to contend with a summer of speculation over his future, but the Argentinian, who has been linked with a move to Juventus or Bayern Munich, suggested he may stay in north London to try to guide Spurs to another European final.
The 47-year-old, who has yet to lift silverware as a coach, told BT Sport: "When you live this experience, you want to do it again. I hope we can do it again in the future.
"It's about trying, it's about believing, it's about building, and I hope it happens again as soon as possible."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Spurs, Man United, Juventus and Inter heading to Singapore for International Champions Cup Twelve teams will take part in the ICC tournament across venues around the world as teams build up
ICC Singapore 2019 : Man United, Juventus, Spurs, and Inter
futbolita.com/2019/03/28/icc-singapore-2019-man-united-juventus-spurs-inter-set-take-stage/
Singapore, you about to be *shoooooketh* AF for the #ICC. Juventus, Man United, Tottenham, and Inter have all been confirmed to play here in the summer! ⚽️ Watch my highlights for more 😎 PS : Not everyone is fortunate enough to travel or watch their fav teams play, so this one's for them.
Man Utd to play Inter and Spurs to face Juve in International
Get the latest news and information for the Chicago Cubs. 2019 season schedule, scores, stats, and highlights. Find out the latest on your favorite MLB teams on CBSSports.com.
Official Chicago Cubs Website | MLB.com
Chelsea can cope with transfer ban, says Sarri | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World NewsSport — The opening goal of the English Premier League
Why Chelsea can cope with transfer ban - Daily Nation
BOURNEMOUTH, England (REUTERS) - Burnley made a big step towards securing Premier League survival after coming back from a goal down to beat Bournemouth 3-1 away as their striker Ashley Barnes
Football: Impressive Burnley fight back to beat Bournemouth 3-1
Brendan Rodgers applauds the fans following a UEFA Europa League game.Source: AFP. Lennon was in charge at Celtic Park between 2010 and 2014, and Sky sources understand he has cancelled a planned trip to Qatar - where he was due to work as a pundit - following Leicester's approach for Rodgers.
Football: Molde owners will support me if I stay at Manchester United, says temp boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (REUTERS) - Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said the owners of Norwegian club Molde sent him to Old Trafford with their blessing and asked him to try to turn his temporary stint at the club into a permanent role.
Football news - Solskjaer: Molde owners will support me if I
MADRID, May 22 (Reuters) - The wife of Spain's World Cup-winning captain Iker Casillas, Sara Carbonero, has announced that she has undergone surgery for cancer just three weeks after the goalkeeper suffered a heart attack. Casillas, who made 167 appearances for Spain and 725 for boyhood club Real
Iker Casillas' wife Sara Carbonero fighting ovarian cancer
Jurgen Klopp refused to get carried away with the growing expectation that Liverpool can lift the league title for the first time in 29 years saying his players must stay focussed after they
Delighted Klopp tells players to stay focused - NewZimbabwe.com
BRIGHTON, England (REUTERS) - Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored the goal as Southampton withstood a second-half onslaught from Brighton & Hove Albion to secure a vital 1-0 Premier League victory on
Hojbjerg strike gives Southampton 1-0 win at Brighton - Daily
Live match reaction for the Manchester United VS Watford game that took place today at old Trafford in the premier league finishing 2-1 to United with the goals scored by Rashford and Martial.
Rashford and Martial give United win over Watford - Football
Barca put one hand on title after edging past Sociedad Sociedad had given Barca an early fright in the corresponding fixture back in September before losing out and the Basques again held
Football: Barca put one hand on title after edging past
My buddies and I are big college football fans, and we love traveling to new places for games. We're working on a blog that gives tips to other football fans when they travel to away stadiums for games. I'm trying to review all the Big Ten schools, and I was hoping you'd indulge me on some questions about Penn State football games.
National Football Development Plan
0 comments:
Post a Comment