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Rare occurance UEFA Cup final lives up to advance billing
How sweet it was to see a European final played with such abandon. With so much at stake, finals can be dour and drab affairs. Occasionally one team can click and romp to comfortable victory. Just as dull in its own way. But rarely, almost never, have we been witness to this: a staggering nine-goal UEFA Cup final of two red cards, the first ever European final Golden Goal -- a cruel own goal at that -- and bewildering entertainment. Hearty thanks to Liverpool and Alaves for providing football fanatics everywhere a game for the ages. Liverpool was the toast of Dortmund after clinching a unique cup treble. The English Premier League giants had already stashed away the FA Cup and League Cup. "You'll Never Walk Alone" is the club's anthem. They'll walk with three trophies in hand now -- the kind of companionship every major team craves. It was Liverpool's first European trophy since 1984 and signaled their return to Europe's elite.
But the final once again highlighted just how strong the Spanish league is nowadays, while also displaying there is still a place for romance in the game, for smaller clubs to shine. Alaves scored 31 goals in 12 games en route to the first major final in their 80-year history and duly banged four more past Liverpool's miserly defense, a back four which had conceded only five goals in the rest of the competition combined. Their disappointment in losing an epic final in such a fashion will leave deep wounds. But they'll heal. When they do, this Basque bunch must take time to appreciate the enormity of their achievement. Bask of a different kind, if you like. Bask in the glorious run to their first final and a magnificently uninhibited performance once there. Liverpool's Gary McAllister admitted to feeling numb after completion of the treble triumph. He -- and all the other players on show -- should take great pride in the fact that for once after a European final, soccer supporters far and wide most definitely were not.
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