Mohamed Salah’s Champions League final motivation was summed up is a six-word tweet posted moments after Real Madrid completed a dramatic resurrection against Manchester City to set up a meeting in Paris.
“We have a score to settle,” announced Salah, a superstar of few words but barely able to conceal the hint of menace in his message to the team responsible for the worst night of his Liverpool career. When Liverpool meet Real Madrid in the Stade de France on Saturday, memories of a balmy May evening in Kyiv four years ago – when Jurgen Klopp’s side were beaten 3-1 – will be painfully revived for Salah.
That night in Ukraine contained many striking images, from the sight of Liverpool keeper Loris Karius alone and in tears at the final whistle after his calamitous performance gifted Real two goals, to the acrobatic bicycle kick from Gareth Bale to put Real on the path to victory.
But for Liverpool, it was the sight of a tearful Salah receiving a consoling pat from Cristiano Ronaldo as he walked off heartbroken after only 30 minutes, following a mischievous tangle with Real’s enforcer-in-chief Sergio Ramos that encapsulated the agony.
