Football vocabulary in context

Can you imagine a more entertaining way of learning football vocabulary than studying a live blog of a great game? Thought so, too. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the kick-off.

Full time – Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid

Real Madrid have won the Champions League! Few gave the Spanish giants a chance when they were beaten at home by Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol in September, but Carlo Ancelotti’s team have rallied – and defied the odds over and over again. To win this competition, Real have beaten the French champions, the European champions, the English champions, and one of the best teams in the world: Liverpool. For the 14th time, Los Blancos are champions of Europe.

90+5. Van Dijk is up front, playing as a centre forward, and Liverpool have one last chance to grab an equaliser. The Reds go long, and pump a ball from the left into a packed penalty area where…it is plucked out of the air by Courtois. It’s the most fitting way for this final to end.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Real Madrid substitution

90+2. The Spaniards eat up a few more seconds with a change. It’s Rodrygo for Vinicus Junior.

90+1. A chance for Ceballos to seal the game on the break, but he loses all composure as soon as he gets inside the penalty area. There’s still time for Liverpool.

90. There will be five minutes of stoppage time. Can Liverpool find an equaliser? Or has Real’s name been written on this cup since they lost to Sheriff Tiraspol in September?

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Real Madrid substitution

89. A second change for Real. Luka Modric has played every minute of his four previous Champions League finals, but he’s not going to see this one out. Former Arsenal man Dani Ceballos is on for the Croatian.

88. It’s not just reflex saves. Courtois shows he is cool under pressure, claiming a Liverpool corner with two hands despite Konate breathing down his neck.

86. Thibaut Courtois has now made more saves – nine – than any other goalkeeper in any other Champions League final. Ever.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Real Madrid substitution

85. A first change for Carlo Ancelotti and co. On comes the talented Eduardo Camavinga, and off goes Federico Valverde.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Salah chance!

83. What an incredible save from Courtois! That’s the best of the lot! Salah does absolutely everything right, controlling a ball over the top beautifully, spinning away beyond Mendy, and then striking back across goal. The shot looks destined for the top corner until Real’s stopper sticks out a hand and tips the ball wide. Sensational.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Keita chance!

81. A big chance for Liverpool! And a big miss from Keita! And when I say big miss, I do mean a big miss. The substitute has space and time to consider his options as Firmino pulls a cross back to the edge of the box, but inexplicably goes with the outside of his right foot and sends it towards the corner flag.

80. Almost! Diogo Jota deflects a miscued Salah shot goalwards, but again Courtois comes to Real’s rescue. The Belgian quickly adjusts himself to push the ball away.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Liverpool substitutions

77. Here we go! Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino are on, and it’s Jordan Henderson and Thiago that depart. It means the Reds now have four forwards on the pitch.

75. What happened there?! Liverpool got their offside trap all wrong as they defended a free-kick, and it left Casemiro completely unmarked on through on goal. However, that’s nothing compared to what happens next. Rather than shooting, Casemiro instead flicks a pass back to a teammate that’s not there, and the chance disappears.

73. Liverpool are preparing a double substitution with Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino both waiting to come on.

71. Konate executes another perfect challenge to deny Vinicius Junior, just as the goalscorer looked to be in full flight. The Frenchman is making a good case for having been Liverpool’s best performer tonight.

69. Both that corner, and the one that follows, are dealt with by the Real Madrid defence – and then it’s over to their goalkeeper. Courtois is superb once again as Jota heads Henderson’s looping cross back towards Salah at the far post. The Egyptian looks as though a tap-in awaits him, only for the Belgian to throw himself along his line and block with his leg.

67. Jota’s first act is to harass and jostle Militao as they battle for a loose ball sent down the left. He wins his side a corner.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Liverpool substitution

65. Jurgen Klopp makes his first change of the evening. Needing a goal, the Liverpool boss turns to Diogo Jota. The Portuguese forward is on for Luis Diaz.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Salah chance!

63. Brilliant from Salah – and almost the equaliser. The Egyptian collects smartly on the right, skips inside from the flank and curls towards the far corner. Not for the first time, Courtois leaps across and denies the Liverpool forward.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid – Fabinho yellow card

61. Fabinho picks up the first caution of this final for a late challenge on Valverde. Frustration has crept into Liverpool’s game.

Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid

59. Real Madrid lead in the Champions League final! In keeping with their entire campaign, Carlo Ancelotti’s team defy the odds and strike when it’s least expected. A lightning counter down the right is sparked by Federico Valverde, who drills a low centre across goal for the unmarked Vinicius Junior to sweep home. Liverpool have little more than half hour to find a way back into this one.

57. Mo Salah wants a penalty! The Egyptian gets a shot away in the area the crashes into Alaba and Mendy. It definitely flicks an arm of at least one Real Madrid defender, but there’s nothing in it and referee Clement Turpin agrees. Play on!

54. Thiago – who was so close to sitting out another final – is almost the player to open the scoring. Alexander-Arnold does superbly well again, first by winning the ball back, and then by fizzing in a cross to the near post. It’s Thiago that’s the further forward, and the midfielder is inches away from connecting with a glancing header. Instead, Courtois punches away to safety.

52. Diaz hasn’t had much joy from an attacking perspective, but does ever so well in tracking back to help Robertson out in defence. The Colombian even throws in a cheeky back-heeled flick to relieve the pressure.

50. A decent tempo may actually just be another way of saying neither team are managing to keep control of the ball.

49. Referee Clement Turpin allows a few hefty challenges to go, but eventually blows up when Alexander-Arnold wrestles Casemiro to the floor. There’s a decent tempo to this second half.

47. A sensational first-time cross from Alexander-Arnold looks destined for the diving header of Diaz at the far post. That is until Carvajal launches himself at the ball and somehow flicks it away from the Colombian. Superb football all round.
Kick-off – Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid

46. After a half-time break arguing over that offside decision, the Champions League final restarts in Paris. There have been no changes so it’s as you were for the two teams.

First half facts and figures: Liverpool have dominated the possession, the passing, and have had more attacking intent…but it remains level.

Half-time – Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid The delayed Champions League final is goalless at the break. Liverpool have dominated, but were nearly caught out on the brink of half-time; Karim Benzema’s goal ruled out for offside, and then controversially confirmed as being disallowed by the VAR officials.

45+1. After a long, long review, the decision is upheld and the goal is disallowed. The video officials are required to check on two incidents in the build-up to the goal. The first is Alaba’s through ball that initially sends Benzema through on goal. The Frenchman looks onside in that instance, and does brilliantly to control and come back inside Robertson. The striker then fails to get a clean shot away, but Alisson and Konate make an awful mess of tidying up, and the ball eventually rebounds back to Benzema, who slots into the net. Real’s captain is certainly in an offside position when he receives the ball on the second occasion, but the debate is whether it was directed to him by a teammate or an opponent. Eventually, the decision comes through that while it was played by Fabinho, it wasn’t intentional and is called offside. It’s a huge let off for Liverpool, and a reminder that there’s always a threat when a player like Benzema is on the pitch.

VAR are reviewing the action!

43. Karim Benzema has the ball in the back of the net…but the linesman’s flag is up for offside.

41. Robertson’s corner is cleared, but only as far as Henderson, who lets fly with a screamer. It travels well wide and thumps the advertising hoardings, but it doesn’t stop commentator Darren Fletcher from getting very excited.

40. Robertson works the ball into the area for Mane, who twists in the blink of an eye and fires wide of the near post. In fact, the shot took a nick off a defender so the Reds have a corner.

38. Whistles ring out from the Real fans at another prolonged spell of Liverpool possession.

36. A Real corner is dealt with by Henderson heading back to Alisson, who then sends Diaz on the run with an angled drop kick. The attack is quickly brought to a halt by a crude foul, but it was a brilliant piece of quick-thinking from the Liverpool keeper.

35. That was Liverpool’s eighth attempt on goal, by the way. Real Madrid? Zero.

34. Another Salah attempt at goal that all stems from Konate bringing the ball out of defence. The centre-back shows great agility to beat his man, come forward and play in Alexander-Arnold on the right. The defender’s cross is met by the twisting head of Salah, but it’s straight at Courtois.

32. Van Dijk is required to come across to cover as Kroos slips a pass through intended for Vinicius. Are Real Madrid beginning to come back into this contest?

30. Ooooh! Vinicius Junior was nearly in behind the Liverpool defence, only for Alexander-Arnold to stick a leg out and brilliantly intercept. Vital.

29. Despite their dominance, the Liverpool supporters seem uncharacteristically subdued. They are no doubt still recovering from what they were forced to endure outside the stadium.

27. Casemiro attempts to loft a pass into the path of Vinicius Junior, but it’s cut out. Madrid have offered little going forward so far.

25. Diaz is dealt with again by the duo of Carvajal and Casemiro. There clearly seems to be a gameplan for when the Colombian is in the thick of the action.

23. Salah goes looking for the run of Mane through the middle, but the subsequent through ball is cut out by the sliding interception of Alaba.

Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid – Mane chance!

21. What a save by Thibaut Courtois! There appeared little danger when Sadio Mane took control just inside the box, but a quick shuffle of feet later and the Senegalese forward had made half a yard of space. A thumping strike towards the bottom corner followed, but Courtois somehow got down to push it on to the post, and then claim the rebound.

19. Another attempt from Liverpool. Mane and Salah combine quickly outside the box, and then tee up Alexander-Arnold, who blazes over from long range. More than 40% of the game has been played in the Real Madrid third so far.

17. Another attempt from Salah, another stop from Courtois. This was much more routine after the Egyptian whipped one goalwards from the edge of the area, although the Madrid goalkeeper does take two attempts to fully collect.

Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid – Salah chance!

16. The first opening of the game! Alexander-Arnold makes room for himself in the area, and squeezes over a low delivery that Salah sends towards the near post. It takes a smart reaction from Courtois, adjusting his direction, to keep it out. Liverpool are turning up the heat.

15. A first opportunity for Vinicius Junior to test Liverpool‘s defence. It’s a test that Konate passes so well that he comes out of the challenge with a PhD.

13. This has been a confident start from Liverpool, who are looking to get forward at every opportunity – even if they are yet to really test Courtois and his defence. Real look content to counter.

12. Thiago has started brightly so far, and seems to be showing no sign of that injury scare. The gamble looks to be paying off.

11. Carvajal and Casemiro combine to block off Diaz’s run as he went in search of a one-two with Thiago.

9. A couple of raking balls over the top intended for Diaz have failed to find their man. Nevertheless, it’s the Reds enjoying the lion’s share of possession.

7. Casemiro leaves a fair but firm one on Mane, and it sparks an opportunity for Valverde to attack down the right.

The forward’s cross is comfortably dealt with which is a let off for Liverpool, but the sight of Mane moving gingerly at the other end is a worry.

5. Reports from BBC 5 Live state that a great number of Liverpool fans are still struggling to gain entry into the stadium.

3. An early scare for Thibaut Courtois, who is rushed into a clearance by the electric high press of Jordan Henderson?!

2. Liverpool win an early free-kick midway inside the Madrid half, and it’s an opportunity to test the Madrid defence.

Alexander-Arnold swings in the set-piece, but it’s comfortably powered away by the head of Benzema.

Kick-off – Liverpool v Real Madrid

The 2022 Champions League final is go! Both teams take the knee, and then it’s Liverpool that get the game going on Clement Turpin’s whistle.

The English side are in red. Real Madrid are in white. It’s just the way it should be.

Here come the two teams!

We have a football match!

Finally, after the delays, the concern, the uncertainty and the frustration, the players of Liverpool and Real Madrid emerge from the tunnel together.

The teams line-up for the official Champions League anthem, that is widely booed by those in the Liverpool end of the Stade de France – and who can blame them.

Captains Jordan Henderson and Karim Benzema meet in the middle while the rest break away for one last stretch, and those include Thiago Alcantara, who does start.