Germany eased into the Confederations Cup final following a comfortable 4-1 victory over Mexico in Sochi.

While almost all of the pre-match focus zeroed in on the three men Martin O’Neill would be deploying in his retooled and reshaped rearguard, there wasn’t nearly as much thought given to who would line up in front of them.

Liverpool reached their first European final for nine years with a comprehensive 3-0 win over a 10-man Villarreal side who lost their heads in the red-hot cauldron of Anfield.

Barcelona 0 Manchester City 1