My Science School

After falling at the final hurdle of the 2017-18 season, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool went one better in the next season, lifting the Champions League trophy in 2018-19.

Grouped with Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade in Group C, Liverpool didn't have it easy in the group stages. While PSG topped the group with 11 points, Liverpool and Napoli finished level on nine points.

With their head-to-head records and goal difference also reading the same, it boiled down to the number of goals both teams had scored through the group stage. Liverpool's nine goals, as opposed to Napoli's seven, allowed them to progress to the knock-out stages.

Liverpool defeated German giants Bayern Munich with a 3-1 aggregate in the Round of 16 and beat Portuguese club Porto with a convincing 6-1 aggregate in the quarter-finals.

In the semi-final against Spanish heavyweights Barcelona, Liverpool lost the first leg 3-0. But they defeated Barca 4-0 in the second leg to progress 4-3 on aggregate..

The final was an all-English affair as Liverpool played Tottenham Hotspur. An early penalty from Mohamed Salah and a late goal from Divock Origi gave them a 2-0 victory that allowed them to lift the Champions League trophy once again.

Did you know?

By winning the Champions League in 2018-19, Liverpool claimed the European Cup/Champions League title for the sixth time.

Champions Liverpool had a brilliant defensive record through the season and produced both the best goalkeeper and defender of the season. While Brazilian Alisson was named the best goalkeeper, Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk was named the best defender.

Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who played for Ajax, was named the best midfielder of the season in the tournament. Barcelona's Argentine striker Lionel Messi claimed the honour of being the best forward.

Picture Credit : Google

The second Test between India and New Zealand that was played in Mumbai from December 3-6 saw the hosts emerge victorious. India won the match by 372 runs to claim the two-Test series 1-0.

Ajaz Patel celebrates with his teammates after becoming just the third player in Test history to take all ten wickets in an innings. Patel is seen here hugging Rachin Ravindra after the latter took the catch to dismiss Mohammed Siraj, thereby completing Patel's 10-wicket haul in the first innings. Out of his ten dismissals in the innings, five were caught (two caught behind by the wicketkeeper), three were lbw and two were bowled.

While a 10-wicket haul in a Test innings is always special, what made it even more memorable for Patel was the fact that he was not only the first one to do it in the first half of a Test match, but also the first to achieve the feat in an away game. The fact that he did it in Mumbai, his place of birth, was the icing on the cake.

England's Jim Laker became the first player in Test history to take 10 wickets in an innings when he picked up 10 for 53 against Australia in July 1956. After England had scored 459 in their first innings in the Test match at Manchester, Lakers 9 for 37 helped them bundle out the visitors for just 84. Lakers 10-for came in the third innings of the game as England forced Australia to follow on. Laker finished with match figures of 19 for 90 and England won by an innings and 170 runs.

India's Anil Kumble became the second person to pick 10 wickets in an innings when he achieved the feat against arch-rivals Pakistan in February 1999 in Delhi. Kumble's 10 for 74 in the fourth and final innings of the game helped set up India's 212-run victory over Pakistan.

Picture Credit : Google

After falling at the final hurdle of the 2011-12 season. Bayern Munich bettered their result in the next season, lifting the Champions League trophy in 2012-13 after defeating their German rivals Borussia Dortmund in the final.

Grouped with Valencia, BATE Borisov and Lille in Group F. Bayern progressed to the knock-out rounds as group winners. Even though they were tied at 13 points with second-placed Valencia with four wins, a draw and a loss from their six games, they won their group due to a superior head-to-head record.

Bayern defeated English side Arsenal in the Round of 16, but it wasn't easy. After both sides finished 3-3 on aggregate, the difference came down to the away goal Bayern scored in London in the first leg.

The quarter-final against Italian giants Juventus was much more straightforward as 2-0 wins in both legs gave them a 4-0 aggregate and a semi-final berth against Spanish superpower Barcelona.

Bayern dominated the semis, winning the two matches 4-0 and 3-0 for an astounding 7-0 aggregate.

In the final against fellow German side Borussia Dortmund, Bayern emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. The victory allowed them to win the competition for a fifth time overall.

Did you know?

Before winning the Champions League in 2019-20, the last time Bayern Munich won the tournament was in 2012-13.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was playing for Real Madrid that season, was the top goal scorer of the tournament with 12 goals. Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski (10 goals) and Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller (8 goals, tied with two others) came second and third.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, playing then for Paris Saint-Germain, had the most assists in the tournament with seven.

Picture Credit : Google

Ulama Need to win, desperately!

Soccer might be the most popular game in South America, but the ancient Mayans had their own special sport. The game, a lot like volleyball, was played between two teams and the players had to keep the ball in the air throughout the play. The ball could be 'kicked' only with the elbows, forearms or hips. If you are imagining a scene with happy players casually bouncing off a light ball, then it's really far from the truth. For one thing, the ball was made of solid rubber and weighed a whopping nine pounds! Either team could score an instant win if they could somehow manage this superhuman feat - send the ball through a hole (only a little bigger than the ball) in a sideways hoop. Most importantly, winning was literally a matter of life or death - the losing team ended up losing their heads as well!

Papa Holua - surfing volcanic slopes

Hawaii is famous for surfing and you often find people surfing the waves bravely. Ancient Hawaiians loved surfing too, however they found it even more fun to do it on mountain slopes rather than the ocean. They liked a bit of challenge too, which is why players often liked sliding along the sides of a volcano! Specially designed sleds were used for this sport. Around 200 years ago, the sport was banned because it was (surprise, surprise!) dangerous.

Chunkey - Sharp eyes and a sharp spear

It might sound like a fun, light game, but for the ancient Native Americans who played it, it was very serious business, so much so that the spectators and the players gambled everything they owned on the outcome! Unless a player had good eyesight, it was really hopeless playing this sport. You see, it's about rolling a clay disc, about 3 inches in diameter, in an open area and throwing spears in such a way that the disc stopped close to or on top of the spear. Sounds easy? Try playing a version of this sport with sticks and rings and you'll know!

Fisherman's jousting Boat fights

When the ancient Egyptians weren't too busy hauling stones around to build pyramids or mummifying bodies, they liked to relax and play some sports. Particularly popular was 'fisherman's jousting'. Imagine this remarkable sight - two teams in boats rowing slowly towards each other on the Nile... and then all of a sudden they pull their oars out of the water and start hitting each other, turning it into a fierce match as each team tries to hit and knock the opponents into the river!

Venatio Man vs. Wild

Venatio is just a fancy name for a cruel gladiator-type game. Ancient Romans were as obsessed with brutal fighting as we are about cricket. In Venatio, slaves were pitted against different wild beasts, ranging from elephants to lions and cheetahs, in an arena. It's difficult to predict whether the players or the animals had the worst fate.

Picture Credit : Google