It seems that Liverpool will be facing their bitter rivals Manchester United in a not-so-friendly International Champions Cup final. Both teams topped their groups respectively, and now will face off in an intense match much before the league gets underway.
Louis van Gaal was touted to be the director of football at Liverpool long ago, before Brendan Rodgers blocked the move, as he wanted complete managerial control. The two will now be pitted against each other in a showdown at Miami after Liverpool cruised through to the final with three straight wins.
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Liverpool made short work of Milan, who looked mostly disinterested throughout the game. Joe Allen opened the scoring after 17 minutes, tucking home a rebound from Sterling’s shot after Allen had hit the post just moments earlier.
About 10 minutes later, the Reds had the chance to double their lead after Sterling was brought down in the penalty box by Adil Rami. Former Southampton man Rickie Lambert, who has never missed a penalty for the Saints before, saw his penalty saved by the hands of Christian Abbiati. Lambert is yet to score his first Liverpool goal.
Simon Mignolet was rarely disturbed at goal, excluding a one-on-one chance for M’Baye Niang in the 78 minute. The Belgian keeper spread himself brilliantly to block any chances of Niang equalizing for the lacklustre Milan side.
The game was sealed by a wonderful low finish by Suso, after Coutinho’s pass found him precisely at his feet. The young Spanish midfielder curled the ball beautifully into the corner, leaving Abbiati struggling to produce a save.
Hence, The Reds were the superior side for most of the game. Both teams had mass substitutions in the second half, but the Milan subs failed to make any special impact.
Manchester United, after beating Real Madrid 3-1 thanks to an Ashley Young brace, will now face Liverpool in a much-anticipated International Champions Cup final at the Sun Life stadium in Miami.
