0-0 tight tie with Chelsea until extra time
Penalty shootout, all 10 kickers from both teams succeeded
Chelsea goalkeeper misses 11-10 period
After a 120-minute battle until the second half of overtime, there was a draw without a goal, and in the penalty shoot-out, all 10 players from both teams succeeded, and in the end, the last kicker, the opposing goalkeeper, lost the victory. A scene that is difficult to occur even in ‘soccer entertainment’ was produced in the final of the Carabao Cup (League Cup) competition between Liverpool and Chelsea, the 2nd and 3rd places in the English Premier League (EPL).
Liverpool won the 2021-22 League Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London, England on the 28th (Korean time) following a 0-0 draw with Chelsea in overtime and 11-10 on penalties. Liverpool, who lifted the trophy for the first time in 10 years since the 2011-12 season, became the team with the most wins in history, beating Manchester City (8 wins) with their ninth win.
The final of the day also started with cheering for Ukraine. The stadium billboards and billboards were decorated with the Ukrainian flag, and the phrase ‘Football stands together’ was also engraved. The captains of both teams entered with blue and yellow wreaths symbolizing the Ukrainian flag. Liverpool fans put up placards saying, ‘You’ll never walk alone’, citing their team’s cheering phrase.
The battle between the two teams was hot from the beginning, but no goal was scored due to the saves of the goalkeepers. In the second half, the ball crossed the goal line, but it was all offside. Liverpool’s Yoel Matip scored a header in the 22nd minute of the second half, but the goal was canceled as Virgil van Dijk, who was in an offside position due to video analysis (VAR), was involved in the goal. Chelsea also had goals from Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz, but both were declared offside.
Neither team scored a goal in the overtime that ended 0-0 in the 90th minute of the first half. However, just before the end of the second half, Chelsea manager Jamie Redknapp replaced the goalkeeper from Edurar Mendy to Kepa Arizabalaga. It was a decision made because Arisabalaga was good at blocking penalty shootouts, but it was a loss because he did not even consider his shooting ability.
In the penalty shoot-out, each of the 10 field players from both teams scored a goal, making it 10-10, and Liverpool’s last kicker, goalkeeper Quimin Kelleher’s shot shook the net first. And without hesitation, Chelsea’s Arisabalaga kicked the ball through the air and flew towards the crowd rather than the goal.
11-10 in this match is the highest score ever in a penalty shootout between EPL clubs. With this win, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp collected his tenth trophy (5 times Dortmund and 5 times Liverpool).
Reporter Jang Hyung-woo
