6 unexpected heroes who helped Liverpool, Spurs reach UCL final

The irritatingly long break between the Premier League's conclusion and the Champions League final is nearly over. Let the countdown to Saturday's showpiece begin.

Tottenham Hotspur were on the verge of elimination at multiple junctures of their run, but have somehow reached the continent's biggest stage for the first time. Liverpool, meanwhile, stumbled and wheezed in the group stage before conjuring up the most magical European night in Anfield's history to vanquish Barcelona in the semifinals.

It's been quite the journey for both teams. Here are the players who, despite lining up alongside superstars like Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane, unexpectedly shone brighter than most during the 2018-19 Champions League campaign.

Jan Vertonghen

Vertonghen played just half of Spurs' group stage games due to a hamstring issue, but his performance against Inter in the penultimate match of that phase - when he produced seven interceptions and cleared from danger five times - hinted at what was to come.

The 32-year-old Belgian was supposed to be engaged with keeping Jadon Sancho quiet in the first leg of the round-of-16 skirmish against Borussia Dortmund, but he instead moonlighted as a buccaneering left wing-back. Vertonghen's cross for Heung-Min Son's opening goal hung beautifully in the air, and he later leaned and jabbed a first-time hit beyond Roman Burki for Tottenham's second tally at Wembley.

Vertonghen was then imperious in the second leg when positioned on the left side of a back-three. He denied Marco Reus with a sublime last-ditch tackle in the first half, and overall counted three tackles, three interceptions, and six clearances during the match.

Joel Matip

Jurgen Klopp appears reluctant to break up the defensive partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Matip despite Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez returning to fitness - and you can't blame him.

Matip was immense as the senior figure when Van Dijk missed the first leg of the last-16 scuffle with Bayern Munich, and he completed more tackles than anybody else on the pitch in the reverse fixture. Then, before Georginio Wijnaldum scored two in quick succession in the infamous second-leg comeback victory over Barcelona, Matip stopped Lionel Messi from scoring what appeared to be a surefire goal with a well-timed challenge.

Aside from settling on a combination in his ever-changing midfield, Klopp's greatest selection dilemma for the final is whether to deploy Matip or Gomez alongside Van Dijk.

Moussa Sissoko

"It is a footballing miracle that they are in the Premier League now," wrote Ben Cooper for The Mag, an independent Newcastle United fan site, when previewing the Magpies' trip to Bournemouth in November 2015. "The sort of miracle akin to ... Moussa Sissoko controlling a ball with his first touch."

Sissoko wasn't popular on Tyneside. His technical skills were dubious, and his inconsistency appeared to be a direct result of only trying against big-name teams. Newcastle were relegated that season, and Sissoko's belated exit from St James' Park was met with widespread relief.

He was also viewed as a hindrance at Tottenham - and certainly a waste of £30 million - until this season. Seemingly from nowhere, Sissoko is now a hyperactive nucleus in Mauricio Pochettino's XI, and he's been a key figure in Spurs' run - particularly during slender victories over Inter, Dortmund, Manchester City, and Ajax.

At this point, Sissoko is decisive rather than divisive.

Georginio Wijnaldum

Like Sissoko, Wijnaldum was relegated with Newcastle in 2016. And, like his former teammate, Wijnaldum is regularly crucial for his current team.

The Dutchman's finest hour - or, to be precise, 122 seconds - was when he tipped the balance in the semifinal against Barcelona with a ruthless brace. To focus on that, however, would be unfair.

Wijnaldum's easily the most consistent midfielder in Klopp's squad, and that's partly down to his tactical subservience: he flits between defensive (like stifling Bayern Munich's James Rodriguez) and attacking (like his double salvo against Barcelona) tasks with minimum fuss.

He must be named among Liverpool's starters for the Champions League final. A trio of Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho should be enough to dominate Spurs' midfield.

Lucas Moura

Lucas standing out in the Champions League isn't a new thing. Only Toni Kroos and Dani Alves created more chances than the Brazilian in the 2016-17 campaign - despite Lucas' Paris Saint-Germain bowing out in the round of 16 - and his goals at PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona this term resuscitated Spurs' ailing group campaign.

We know what happened next. Prior to the outrageous second meeting with Ajax, one of Tottenham's most memorable hat-tricks was scored by Ronny Rosenthal in an FA Cup fifth-round replay at Southampton in 1995. Lucas' treble, on the other hand, took place on one of the greatest platforms in club football.

The 96th-minute completion of Lucas' three-goal haul against Ajax marked one of the most dramatic moments in Champions League history, and it etched the 26-year-old's name in Spurs folklore.

Making matters even sweeter for Tottenham fans, Lucas was sold to the club from PSG after being phased out by now-Arsenal manager Unai Emery in the French capital.

Divock Origi

Origi attracted plenty of loan offers last summer, but Liverpool stood firm. A temporary deal wasn't enough - they wanted him gone for good.

So, reported negotiations with Borussia Dortmund and others broke down, and Klopp came to terms with keeping the Belgian striker until January.

But then things changed.

Late winners past Everton in December and Newcastle United in May (and almost another in February at West Ham United) helped Liverpool fight for the Premier League title until the final day. In continental matters, Reds fans had to wait until the second leg of the semifinal to see Origi's best offering.

In that match, he bookended Wijnaldum's brace by dropping into space to allow an easy tap-in for his first, and then, for the conclusive effort, by being the lone alert man in a soup of napping Barcelona players.

Origi is a limited footballer, but his energy and boundless enthusiasm have cemented him as a critical backup in Klopp's clan this term.