Champions League final result: Liverpool lift sixth European trophy after beating Tottenham in Madrid
Salah and Origi scored a goal in each half to give the Reds the win in Madrid
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Your support makes all the difference.Welcome to our live coverage of the 2019 Champions League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool the perfect start when he hammered home a second minute penalty after Moussa Sissoko was adjudged to have handballed the ball in the area. A streaker interrupted proceedings before Divock Origi sealed the win late on with a smart finish.
Re-live all the action from Madrid:
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Welcome
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the Champions League final!
The day is finally here, so it's time to stop slamming Jurgen Klopp for his failures in these kind of games, stop asking Mauricio Pochettino about his weight and get on with the actual game.
Well, not without a touch of high-octane build-up first.
Liverpool are in their second successive Champions League final and are looking to make up for last year's defeat against Real Madrid. This season has been a joyous one at Anfield, but finishing the year with 97 points, not winning the league and falling short again in the European final might end it on a slightly sour note.
The challengers, if you like, seem to be Tottenham. They were second away from being knocked out in the semi-final by Ajax, but Lucas Moura scored in the final seconds to send Spurs through.
Stay right here for the latest team news, analysis and interviews as we look ahead to the 8:00pm kick-off.
The big preview
Destiny, a one-country final, the three-week break, Harry Kane's fitness and a first trophy for the managers are all topics covered by Miguel Delaney in his Champions League final preview.
"For two clubs that have gone through the most riotous of routes to Madrid, the mood in both camps over the last few days has been surprisingly - if portentously - serene.
"Perhaps that’s what football events like miracle comebacks from 3-0 down really do to you. They give you the faith of true believers. They give you the faith that the moments you have come through are of such magnitude that they simply have to mean something more and lead somewhere greater."
All that and more is available here
Predictions
Find out how our writers think tonight's game will go, including who predicts that "Jurgen Klopp dedicates Liverpool’s win to Greta Thunberg and the oppressed peoples of the world everywhere. Pochettino leaves for Chelsea."
Click here for that and more top-banter.
One-country Champions League finals
"The greater knowledge of the opposition, in such a final, ironically gives them so much more to think about," writes Miguel Delaney as he delves into what one-country Champions League final so unique.
“No player likes it,” Santiago Canizares tells The Independent, the goalkeeper having played for Valencia against Real Madrid in the very first one-country final back in 2000. “You never like it, not in normal knock-outs, but especially not the final. It’s an international competition, and you prefer to play teams from other countries, but then you’re facing a side you know well.”
One-country Champions League finals
2000 Real Madrid 3-0 Valencia
2003 AC Milan 0-0 Juventus (Milan win 3-2 on penalties)
2008 Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (United win 6-5 on penalties)
2013 Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
2014 Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid
2016 Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid (Real Madrid win 5-3 on penalties)
The atmosphere is building
There may be five hours until kick-off in Madrid, but these Tottenham supporters have already found their voice ahead of this evening's final.
Will Kane play?
Both sides have a fairly good bill of health ahead of the final.
Harry Kane, however, has not played since the quarter-final first leg against Manchester City in April when he suffered a "significant" ankle ligament injury.
Kane has declared himself fit and took part in training without any problems at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Friday night.
"We have one training session now and then we're going to decide," said Pochettino, who admitted he will have a "painful" decision about who to leave out if Kane is fit.
It is likely that the forward will replace semi-final hat-trick hero Lucas Moura if Pochettino thinks he is ready.
How Mauricio Pochettino revitalised Spurs’ squad through emotional flexibility instead of money
Now, it may not have escaped your attention that this Tottenham team have got to the Champions League final without a single penny being spent on their playing squad this season.
Liverpool meanwhile, have been bolstered by Alisson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri, costing around £170m, and that's without Virgil Van Dijk, who was bought for £75m in January last year.
The tactics
Strap in everyone, it's time to talk tactics.
Games between Tottenham and Liverpool are very often tight affairs decided by the smallest margins in small moments.
Jurgen Klopp: It's "silly" to judge managers on trophies
Jurgen Klopp's relationship with silverware has been a bittersweet affair that leans more on the bitter side.
He has reached seven finals and won just once since 2012 and says there is too much importance on managers winning trophies.
“The thing is, you – the outside world – it is your right to judge us by what we win and what we don’t win.
“Look back in 20 years and nobody will talk about our brilliant season unless another team comes close to 97 points, or has more or less. Then yes, we maybe [will be] mentioned again, but nobody will really speak about that.
“But for me, as a person, it will stay forever. I will probably have 20 or 30 years career as a manager and then it is easy to remember it. I can really respect that and that is probably what Poch is like as well.
“The outside world is like this and we have to accept that. But to judge a coach by what he is winning is a silly thing because we all have different circumstances. We all have different teams, different clubs, we have to fight with or against different things, but nobody is interested in that.”
Jose Antonio Reyes will be remembered at tonight's final
Following Jose Antonio Reyes' death, UEFA have confirmed a "moment's silence" will be held before Tottenham vs Liverpool.
Reyes was a Champions League finalist with Arsenal in 2005/06 and won the Europa League five times during spells with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid.
“UEFA and European football are deeply saddened by the terrible news that José Antonio Reyes has passed away today and I would like to express my sincerest condolences to his family and loved ones for their loss,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. “He had a glittering career and won numerous honours wherever he played and I am shocked and saddened that his life has been so tragically cut short.”
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