For the second time ever, the Champions League final will pit two English clubs against one another in what is sure to be an instant classic. Even if the final has a fraction of the drama supplied in the semifinals, we’re in for a treat. But you may want to watch from home, because Champions League final tickets cost are astronomical.

(This article contains Game of Thrones spoilers up to Season 8, Episode 4.)

Down two goals, three on aggregate, with 45 minutes to play, Tottenham Hotspur looked at Champions League death and said: “Not today.”

When everything looked bleak, with no hope of survival, Lucas Moura, the quick, crafty Brazilian winger, often overlooked, dragged Spurs back into contention with two goals in four minutes.

Remember Mix Diskerud?

What the heck has he been up to lately?

The USMNT midfielder with 38 caps (and six goals) to his name, made splashy headlines when Manchester City signed him from sister club New York City FC. He’s more or less disappeared from the face of the earth since then.

But fear not, friends, Diskerud has been sighted once more!

In the end he was left to perform for the Doping Control Officer. And the sad, silent song of Lionel Messi’s stream, deep in the bowels of an Anfield that had threatened to rupture, made the hour twice as long as he waited for the sun to go sinking. 

Coming into a game with the impossible on its to-do list, Liverpool down three goals on aggregate returned home and dominated Barcelona 4-0 to return to its second consecutive Champions League final with a 4-3 aggregate victory on Tuesday at Anfield.

Just six days ago, this Barcelona team was on the other side of the beating, thrashing Liverpool 3-0 in Barca.

With Mohamed Salah ruled out of Tuesday’s Liverpool-Barcelona Champions League semifinal second leg with a concussion, maybe Jordi Alba thought he was in for a beautiful stroll across the lovely confines of Anfield. Maybe, looking across at replacement Xherdan Shaqiri, he thought, “Hell yeah, I might be marginally taller than this dude.” 

Or perhaps he thought he’d simply feed it to Lionel Messi (as has been the case on three occasions in LaLiga and twice in the UCL this season) and let him do the rest. 

All Barcelona had to do was get one. One away goal and it would all be over for Liverpool. One simple goal from the team with the greatest goal scorer of this era, perhaps of all time.

But Alisson wouldn’t let it happen. 

What a difference a goalkeeper makes.

Last Wednesday, Lionel Messi recorded his 600th goal for Barcelona during his club’s 3-0 Champions League semifinal first leg victory over Liverpool. It was an astonishing free kick, the 42nd of his Barça career, that venomously flew right past Joe Gomez’s face before curling into the top corner from 35 yards out.