The pinnacle of club football, the Champions League final, is now set as Liverpool and Real Madrid both secured their final spots in dramatic circumstances. Cruising 2-0 from the first leg, Liverpool were pegged back by Villareal before taking over in the second half to secure the tie via a 5-2 aggregate score.
24 hours later, Manchester City appeared set to join them for an all English final but Real Madrid had other plans. Trailing 5-3 over the two legs, Madrid scored two late goals to level events before a Karim Benzema penalty in extra time sent them through.
When is the Champions League final?
The 67th European Cup final to be contested by Liverpool and Real Madrid will take place on May 28th, 2022. It will be the third time that the two teams have faced each other at this stage following Liverpool's win in 1981 and Madrid's victory four years ago.
The road to the final
Liverpool
Group Stage
- AC Milan W 3-2
- Porto W 5-1
- Atletico Madrid W 3-2
- Atletico Madrid W 2-0
- Porto W 2-0
- AC Milan W 2-1
Round of 16
Inter Milan W 2-1 on aggregate
Quarter finals
Benfica W 6-4 on aggregate
Semi finals
Villareal W 5-2 on aggregate
Real Madrid
Group Stage
- Inter Milan W 1-0
- Sheriff Tiraspol L 2-1
- Shakhtar Donetsk W 5-0
- Shakhtar Donetsk W 2-1
- Sheriff Tiraspol W 3-0
- Inter Milan W 2-0
Round of 16
PSG W 3-2 on aggregate
Quarter finals
Chelsea W 5-4 on aggregate
Semi finals
Man City W 6-5 on aggregate
Where is the final being held?
The 2022 Champions League final will take place at the Stade de France in Paris. The venue in France's capital has hosted the Champions League final on two previous occasions. 2000 when Real Madrid toyed with Valencia and Barcelona's dramatic win over Arsenal in 2006.
The 1981 final between Liverpool and Real Madrid was played at the Parc des Princes in Paris.