Similar to Divock Origi's famous semi-final goal in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League, Jamal Musiala's opportunistic strike from a quick corner helped Germany defeat Italy in their Nations League match. In that match, Liverpool miraculously overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat Barcelona. But which players and team did it better? Say something here... In Germany's UEFA Nations League victory over Italy, Jamal Musiala scored from a quick corner to bring back memories of Divock Origi's goal in Liverpool's famous 4-0 semi-final win over Barcelona. Gianluigi Donnarumma left Italy’s goal unattended, and Joshua Kimmich pounced to pick out Musiala, his Bayern Munich team-mate, who found the empty net.
Tim Kleindienst made it 5-1 on aggregate on the stroke of half-time, but the Italians did hit back after the break.
A Moise Kean double raised hopes of an incredible comeback before Giacomo Raspadori scored from the spot deep into stoppage time, but Germany eventually scraped over the line to seal a 5-4 triumph.
On May 7, 2019, not many would have given Liverpool a chance to reach the UEFA Champions League final against a Barcelona side arriving in Merseyside with a 3-0 cushion.
But it will forever be an evening etched into the history of the club. Origi got The Reds off to a great start with his seventh-minute goal, before a three-minute Georginio Wijnaldum brace brought the sides level with little more than half an hour remaining at Anfield.
Then, in the 79th minute, after winning a corner, Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped a pass into Origi as the Barcelona defence switched off and the Belgian side-footed into the top corner to complete a miraculous comeback.
It gave his side a timely boost, halving the deficit to Watford just before half-time, though they couldn't stop the Hornets eventually winning the tie by three goals to two.
Manchester United have to confound their critics, a category that also seems to include their co-owner. Sir Jim Ratcliffe had made some disparaging comments about some of the squad. Andre Onana, Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund, three who were named in a complaint – albeit that United will have to use their funds in the summer paying for players who were bought in 2022 and 2023 – could have a significance if they are to beat Real Sociedad. “It is also important to give us more energy to continue the season,” said Ruben Amorim. They are not the normal comments of a United head coach in the first half of March.
But then these are not normal times, and not merely because United have announced plans to build a £2bn, 100,000-capacity stadium while languishing 14th in the Premier League. Ratcliffe’s unflattering appraisal has not prompted any of the players to go to Amorim to voice their concerns. However, Ratcliffe did not express disapproval of the head coach and instead praised him for doing a "remarkably good" job. A return of just 19 points from 17 Premier League games suggests otherwise. At the very least, the Portuguese included himself on the list of those who failed.
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