Barcelona save over five million euros after Liverpool defeat
Despite the Champions League comback being seen as an embarrassment in Catalonia, there was a silver lining from Anfield...sort of.
It was a night that will live long in the memories of those that follow Liverpool and Barcelona football clubs, as well as those of many others. Losing the first leg 0-3 and fighting back to take the tie 4-3 on aggregate, despite missing some key players, has The Reds in the Champions League final for the second consecutive season. Barcelona were devastated, and will not be allowed to forget this result for some time to come. But there are always some silver linings to be found...
Barcelona save on Coutinho add-on
When PSG pulled Neymar away from the Camp Nou, Barça were in shock. They immediately looked around Europe for potential star replacements to keep the fans happy and, hopefully, keep the exciting form going on the pitch. One such player was the Brazilian making headlines at Liverpool, Philippe Coutinho.
The 26-year old has not impressed as was hoped for the Spanish champions and, yet again, failed to deliver when it mattered at Anfield on Tuesday night. A grand total of 18 touches of the ball in the hour he was on the pitch was hardly influential.
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Anyway, there was one good thing to come out of the loss for the blaugrana bean counters. As part of the deal that took Coutinho to the Camp Nou, there were a number of clauses which stated the add-on payments. One such clause clarified that if Barça won the 2018/19 Champions League, Liverpool would receive 5.23 million euros, which now doesn't need to be paid.
We'll try not to remind the Spanish giants that by reaching the final they would have recouped 15 million euros (plus a further four million for winning it). That would just be insensitive.