“It happened so quick” – Origi’s instinct broke Barcelona on road to Champions League glory

A moment enshrined into Liverpool history in a flash and one look was all it took for Divock Origi to send the Reds on their way to securing European Cup number six.

You know the story. Liverpool’s back is against the wall as they face the task of overcoming a 3-0 first-leg deficit to Barcelona – lose and a scintillating season would end without a much-deserved piece of silverware.

But as Jurgen Klopp uttered to his side in the build-up: “It’s pretty impossible but if anyone can do it, we can.”

For Origi, who landed the final blow against Barcelona and Tottenham in the final, the task at hand when the Catalan giants descended on Anfield on May 7, 2019, was a challenge to relish.

On a throwback to the 4-0 win, Origi joined BT Sport to dissect his role and memories of what was an unforgettable night.

From the “electric” atmosphere which emanated from all four corners of Anfield to the “courageous” approach which ensured “Barcelona didn’t come into their flow,” it was an evening where Liverpool hit every right note.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, May 7, 2019: Liverpool's Divock Origi scores the fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League Semi-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and FC Barcelona at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Including that corner. One which Liverpool’s No. 27 admitted he could see the wheels turning in Trent’s head before landing the final nail in the coffin – one which caught many in the stand napping let alone Barcelona.

“I did see. I saw a ball on the pitch and I wanted to give it back to the ballboy, so when I did that I was walking back but people took some time to come into position so automatically I was looking at who was taking the corner because depending on that it changes my positioning,” Origi explained.

“When I was looking I could see Trent looking up and I think we made brief eye contact and I could see that he was going to do something instinctively, so when he whipped that ball in I looked up before I could kick the ball and I saw that Pique and Ter Stegen were more in the middle and the left side was open.

“It was quite a hard shot and I was just happy! When it went in, it happened so quick. Even mentally to realise it takes a while and it was a key moment.

“It’s being able to adapt and react and there are games when sometimes there is a lot in your head and you struggle to get in that zone, but that’s one of the games where you’re just in the zone and you’re flowing and things instinctively happen easier.

“Maybe on a bad day the ball goes in the stands – and I don’t think many people would blame me because it was quite a difficult ball – but it happened well, it clicked and it shows in which flow we really were as a team.”

It was his second goal of the evening and his third for Liverpool in the Champions League would follow at the most opportune moment once more, latching onto Joel Matip’s pass in Madrid to ensure the Reds returned to Merseyside with Ol’ Big Ears.

Ask him to choose his favourite, however, and he’d be hard-pressed to do so as each evoked a “different emotion.”

MADRID, SPAIN - SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2019: Liverpool's Divock Origi kisses the European Cup following a 2-0 victory in the UEFA Champions League Final match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC at the Estadio Metropolitano. (Pic by Paul Greenwood/Propaganda)

“For me, I think it’s just different emotions,” he added. “It’s very different. I am always pro-team, so whichever goal, defensive action or assist that can help the team win, that’s for me the key moment.

“I’d say the Tottenham goal was closer to lifting the cup, so that has a different emotion to us coming back in the semi-final, which was crucial as well.

“And I know that both had big importance, that all three of the goals [in the semi-final and final] were very important so when people ask me to choose, I tell them that I prefer that they choose for themselves!”

If only you could bottle the emotion his goals provided in this Champions League run.

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