‘I should have dealt with below the belt criticism more aggressively in public’: Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius regrets how he dealt with fallout of Reds’ 2018 Champions League final defeat following his costly errors
- Loris Karius made two costly errors in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid
- Death threats were made to the Liverpool keeper following the game
- He has not played for the club since, having joined Besiktas on loan
- The German goalkeeper claims criticism from the game was ‘below the belt’
Loris Karius believes he should have shown a more aggressive and public reaction following the criticism that was aimed at him after the 2018 Champions League final.
The Liverpool keeper made two high profile errors during the game which resulted in the Reds losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in Kiev.
The first of these saw Madrid take the lead after his catastrophic attempt of rolling the ball to a defender resulted in Karim Benzema deflecting the ball home.
Loris Karius broke down in tears following Liverpool’s 2018 Champions League final defeat
The Reds keeper made two high profile errors as they went down to a 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid
Following Sadio Mane’s instant equaliser, Gareth Bale restored the lead with a stunning overhead kick before his late long range strike was fumbled by Karius to seal the two-goal victory margin.
Karius received death threats following the final where he was made a scapegoat for the defeat, but he claims he was the victim of a concussion earlier in the game.
The German has not played for the club since and has spent the last two years on loan at Besiktas, but claims he has learned lessons from the match as well as the fallout.
‘Believe me, I’ve learned a lot from that! In retrospect, I should have dealt with it more aggressively in public,’ he told Sport Bild.
The first error saw his roll out pass intercepted by Karim Benzema for the opening Madrid goal
The second came while Liverpool trailed 2-1, when he flapped at a long range Gareth Bale shot
‘I had a concussion after a blow from Sergio Ramos, which restricted my spatial vision. This was unequivocally ascertained in a detailed study by one of the world’s leading brain specialists.
‘At first, I was happy to know what went on in this game. I didn’t want to make it public myself. When the result was released, there was a lot of malice and insult, often well below the belt. I never used it as an excuse. But when people make fun of someone who has badly injured their head, I have no understanding.’
‘All my efforts and good performances before were suddenly no longer relevant. The reactions were over the top and disrespectful, especially that it has been drawn out in this way. Errors are measured with different, even abnormal, dimensions and are not assessed fairly.
As Bale celebrates his second goal of the game for Madrid, Karius reacts following his error
Karius looks on distraught at the final whistle following the defeat in Kiev
‘We players face extreme hostility on the internet. If you read every message, you wouldn’t be able to sleep for two days. It’s insane what people say under the guise of anonymity, badly insulting others, discriminating against them and then becoming racist.
‘You can’t blame fans if they whistle a player. You pay an admission and have the right to be dissatisfied. A professional has to endure that. If there are personal insults or death threats, the line is then crossed.
‘There were some of them [death threats]. But I can’t take that seriously. These are people who write anonymously and don’t even show their faces in their profiles.’
