Whilst many football fans have turned their attention to the upcoming World Cup, Liverpool fans have been left to rue, missing out on a sixth Champions League trophy. The game was filled with controversy, with goalkeeper Karius being blamed for what were seen to be two calamitous mistakes. The first error came when he went to throw the ball out to his own player, not realising that Real Madrid’s Benzema was right in front of him, leaving Benzema with an easy chance to put Real Madrid ahead.
Throwing it away
At 2-1 to Real Madrid, following a Mane equaliser and a Gareth Bale worldie, Karius was again involved in an error of judgement when he pushed Bale’s shot into the back of the net, when a straightforward save looked on the cards. After the game, Karius was inconsolable as he apologised to the Liverpool fans who had travelled to Kiev. The mistakes led to some fairly brutal comments from ex players and fans alike, saying he was not good enough to play at this level.
Blow to the head in Ramos challenge
Source: metro.co.uk
Nobody suggested that the errors could actually have been down to anything other than the goalkeeper’s mistakes but yesterday news emerged that Karius was assessed by doctors, who then confirmed that he had been suffering from concussion. This had occurred during a challenge from Ramos, who Liverpool fans were already furious with for a challenge on Salah that saw the player leave the field in tears.
Goalkeepers linked with a move to Liverpool
Doctors revealed that Karius suffered “visual spatial dysfunction” which would have severely impaired his ability during the game. Whilst this may give Karius a bit more sympathy from the Liverpool fans who had their dreams shattered in Kiev, Liverpool have been heavily linked with moves for a long list of top goalkeepers. Alisson, Oblak and Butland have all recently been linked with a move to the club to replace Karius between the sticks.
A lot of Liverpool fans are calling for the club owners FSG to break the bank to get a world-class goalkeeper, to shore up a team that otherwise had an amazing run in the Champions League. There is a feeling that Liverpool are a few players away from having a squad that can compete on all levels, but that goalkeeper spot has been a bone of contention for many seasons. Maybe this summer will see someone new pulling on that number 1 jersey at Anfield.
