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The winning goal from Brennan Johnson brought contrasting emotions to the faces of Bale and Rio in a viral video circulating during the Europa League final.
Rio Ferdinand And Gareth Bale’s reactions (X)
Present in the commentary box for the marquee Europa League final played on Thursday, May 22 night in Spain, football giants Gareth Bale and Rio Ferdinand came up with priceless reactions seeing Tottenham Hotspur execute their title-winning goal against Manchester United.
In a viral video circulating on social media, Gareth Bale was ecstatic after Tottenham produced the decisive kick, while Ferdinand was left distraught over United’s 0-1 defeat.
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The winning blow came from Brennan Johnson following a period of play where Luke Shaw came up with an own goal, handing Tottenham Hotspur the Europa League title for the season over Manchester United. While it was a moment to rejoice for former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid player Bale, the goal from Johnson brought bitter disappointment to Ferdinand’s face. The duo’s funnily contrasting reactions gave the fans one of the most talked-about moments from the great contest.
In the amusing clip, Bale is seen offering a beaming smile and applauding from the stands as he witnessed the Spurs claim European glory. The former Tottenham player had put a day out at golf aside to attend the big final in the hope of seeing the Spurs win and they did not disappoint. But Ferdinand, the former Red Devils defender, was captured speechless after the winning goal from Johnson, deeply frustrated over United’s loss.
The goal etched the London-based Tottenham Hotspur into the historic elite of the Europa League competition, which is the second biggest tournament in European club football after the Champions League. With their victory at San Mamés against the mighty United side, the Spurs claimed their third Europa League title after winning the coveted crown back in the tournament’s first edition in the 1971–72 season and then in the 1983–84 season.
Tottenham joined a special list of Europa League teams with three titles to their names, including Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, and Atlético Madrid. Sevilla FC still heads the all-time winners list of the Europa League with seven trophies to their name. Notably, Spanish clubs have won the Europa League title the most times with fourteen championships ahead of England and Italy at joint-second with nine titles each.
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