Liverpool v Real Madrid: a spectacular final to light up a dark time in European history

When Real Madrid lost the first leg of their Champions League last-16 game in Paris on 15 February, the world was a different place. By the time the second leg was played, Russia had invaded Ukraine. Football had become unimportant. But those who saw how Real miraculously turned the game around will never forget it.

This year, the Champions League final is taking place at a time when war is raging in Europe. It has been moved from St Petersburg to Paris because Russia, the aggressor, has been excluded. The war of the autocrat Putin is changing the whole world.

It is the Real Madrid team that are distracting Europe in this spring’s sad times. On their way to the final, they beat last year’s finalists, Chelsea and Manchester City, in a similarly spectacular way to their win over PSG. Their opponents dominated the game, Real survived critical phases and then surprised their opponents and the football world with brilliant moments.

In the semi-final against City, Real were two goals down in the 90th minute – and won. It reminded me of Bayern Munich’s painful defeat against Manchester United in 1999 or Chelsea’s victory in the 2012 “Finale dahoam”, my personal Waterloo. In the Premier League, on the other hand, City last Sunday turned a 0-2 into a 3-2 in five minutes and became champions. The inexplicable is part of the fascination of football.

Now the 13-time champions Real face six-time champions Liverpool. As to whether Real can pull off another miracle, all eyes are on Karim Benzema. The best striker in the world represents what Real are all about: talent, genius, intuitive understanding of the game, belief in his own strength. Against PSG he scored three times in 17 minutes. He scored 10 goals in the six games of the