By Peter Rutzler For Mailonline
Published: 23:53 BST, 1 June 2019 | Updated: 00:14 BST, 2 June 2019
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When referee Damir Skomina pointed to the spot to give Liverpool a penalty after just 21 seconds, another thrilling night of Champions League football looked to be on the cards.
After a season of truly jaw-dropping comebacks, it seemed the only logical conclusion. Both Liverpool and Tottenham were involved in two of the most extraordinary semi-finals the game has ever seen, both recovering from three-goals down to secure victories against Barcelona and Ajax respectively.
With that early penalty, it appeared certain that the Champions League final would deliver too and treat us all to another festival of football.
When Damir Skomina pointed to the spot after 21 seconds, a thrilling final looked on the cards
Mohamed Salah duly tucked the penalty away for Liverpool but thereafter it proved a dull affair
Both sides were off the pace in the first half but Tottenham raised their game after the break
But in the end, both sides played out a thoroughly forgettable finale in the pressing heat of Madrid.
The early goal was a cruel red herring. Jurgen Klopp's rock'n'roll, pulse-smashing football was replaced by a pacemaker protection service, while Tottenham, whose coach Mauricio Pochettino had boasted about the fitness of his side before the game, laboured like a team who had taken to the field after a night-cap.
It was a point not lost on supporters and pundits alike.
'I've never seen two
