Steven Gerrard jokes ‘that’s why I used to take them’ as footage shows ex-Liverpool team-mate Xabi Alonso hitting the crossbar from a free-kick… ahead of Bayer Leverkusen’s Europa League final defeat
- Alonso took a free kick ahead of the Europa League final in Dublin
- The Leverkusen manager had a curling attempt denied onto the crossbar
- CHRIS SUTTON: If I were Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid came for me, I would try something different and leave Liverpool – Listen to It all starts!
Steven Gerrard has poked fun at his former Liverpool teammate Xabi Alonso after footage showed the Bayer Leverkusen boss hitting the crossbar from a free-kick ahead of the Europa League final.
A video was posted to the Europa League accounts ahead of the showpiece match in Dublin, which saw Alonso’s Leverkusen side face Atalanta.
The former Spain, Liverpool and Real Madrid star briefly returned to his playing days by stringing together a free-kick from outside the penalty area, minus a wall.
Alonso tried to curl the ball into the top right corner of the net, but the 42-year-old saw his effort hit the frame of the goal before bouncing away.
The Leverkusen boss turned away in frustration, with the attempt prompting a joke from his former Liverpool teammate Gerrard.
Xabi Alonso took a free kick ahead of the Europa League final in Dublin
The Bayer Leverkusen boss saw his free kick bounce off the crossbar at the Aviva Stadium
Alonso was seen turning away in frustration after being denied in training
Former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard made jokes on social media at Alonso’s expense
“That’s why I always took them with me,” Gerrard, the current manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq, joked on Instagram.
Despite Gerrard’s joke, Alonso had enjoyed success from dead ball situations during his time at Anfield between 2004 and 2009.
Alonso had opened his account for Liverpool in 2004 with a curling free-kick against Fulham.
The Spaniard scored two more free-kicks for the club before leaving for Real Madrid, having scored a total of 18 goals for Liverpool.
However, Gerrard had largely remained Liverpool’s free-kick taker throughout his storied career at the club.
The former club captain scored 10 in total for the Reds.
The Europa League final itself would prove to be a more frustrating occasion for Alonso, with Leverkusen undone by an inspired performance from Ademola Lookman.
Alonso played with Gerrard in Liverpool’s midfield for five years between 2004 and 2009
Gerrard had largely remained Liverpool’s free-kick taker throughout his time at the club
Alonso had a difficult evening in Dublin as his Leverkusen side lost 3-0 in the Europa League final
Lookman scored a brilliant hat-trick as Atalanta won 3-0 to win the Europa League.
The result ended Leverkusen’s 51-match unbeaten run, ending their hopes of a treble having already won the Bundesliga.
“For me, today’s result doesn’t change how I feel about my players or what we did,” Alonso told the BBC after the match.
“It hurts because we wanted to lift the trophy, but you can’t have everything. We won the Bundesliga and on Saturday we have the chance to win the DFB Pokal.’
Alonso’s side will be looking to bounce back from their painful defeat in the German Cup final.
