“I’m really happy with his progress. There is still a lot to come. I’m sure.” Those were Jurgen Klopp’s words exactly three weeks before Loris Karius’ nightmare in Kyiv. Karius had overcome his inauspicious induction at Liverpool and become an important factor behind Jurgen Klopp’s success in 2018.
Karius had reclaimed his place between the sticks from Simon Mignolet and played a starring role as Liverpool lost just three of their final 16 league games to finish fourth. It was his longest run as Liverpool number one since his arrival from FSV Mainz in the summer of 2016.
His early mistakes had manifested itself into a running joke and Klopp was forced to take his fellow countryman out of the firing line.
His miscued goal kick that went behind for a corner against Sunderland was just one of a number of comical errors produced by the then Germany U21 international. But the criticism came to head when he fumbled Steve Cook’s low shot to gift Nathan Ake the winning goal as AFC Bournemouth famously came from two goals behind in a seven-goal thriller.
Klopp presented Karius with an opportunity to redeem himself in the following game but his weak attempt to stop Dimitri Payet’s free kick against West Ham forced Klopp’s hand. It would be almost exactly a year later that Karius would feature in the Premier League again. But this time Karius would showcase, albeit temporarily, the qualities that earned him his move to Liverpool in the first place.
His resurgence heralded a catalogue of stunning saves, including his right-handed stop to claw Yannick Bolasie’s bending strike behind in the Merseyside Derby. Karius’ redemption culminated in a place in the final of European club football’s most coveted competition. He had played in each of Liverpool’s 12 games en route to the final as the Reds eliminated FC Porto, Manchester City and AS Roma respectively in the knockout phase.
Unfortunately, it was on the biggest stage that his blossoming career crumbled into a thousands pieces. The scenes of Karius sobbing, virtually by himself at the full-time whistle, remains the defining moment implanted in the minds of many that witnessed his Champions League catastrophe.
His gift for Karim Benzema just six minutes after the half-time interval was only the beginning of a torrid night. Perhaps had Liverpool gone onto win after Sadio Mane equalised in the 55th minute then Karius would’ve been spared the humiliation that would ultimately follow.
But when Gareth Bale was introduced just after the hour-mark, the Welshman ensured that Karius would eternally enter football folklore for all the wrong reasons.
He admittedly could do nothing about Bale’s extraordinary overhead kick that will forever remain one of the greatest goals ever scored in a Champions League final. However, when Karius spilled Bale’s 83rd minute shot into the net, the daggers were out and the writing was on the wall.
“What can I say,” said an emotionally drained and almost speechless Jurgen Klopp when he was whisked in front of the BT Sport cameras after the game. “Loris knows it, everybody knows it. It’s a shame in a game like this and after a season like this. I really feel for him. He’s a really good boy.
“The second one was caused by the first one. It’s really difficult to get rid of those thoughts in your mind.”
It later emerged that Karius was suffering from concussion during the final, but that infamous 90 minutes has left a permanent stain on his reputation. Liverpool signed Alisson Becker from AS Roma later that summer and Karius fled England for Besiktas on a two-year loan, although not before another error in a pre-season friendly against Tranmere did the rounds on social media.
Karius showed glimpses of his quality in Turkey – most notably in a goalless draw against Alanyaspor when he produced several top class saves. Nevertheless, mistakes remained a feature of his game and Karius left Istanbul in acrimonious fashion after continuing issues regarding unpaid wages.
His contract was terminated early and Karius returned to Germany the following campaign to join Union Berlin on a season-long loan. His homecoming would not have the desired effect as he played second string to Andreas Luthe in the German capital.
The Iron Ones may have made history by qualifying for European competition for the first time ever but Karius played a minimal role in that success. He played just 381 minutes across all competitions for Union Berlin and returned to Liverpool as the fifth-choice goalkeeper. After a season without any involvement for the Reds, Karius was finally released from his contract.
His tumultuous spell at Anfield is now officially over and at the age of 29, Karius is targeting a return. Karius is in advanced talks with Newcastle United following an injury to backup goalkeeper Karl Darlow. Karius’ chances of featuring for the Magpies are slim but a fresh start awaits him five years on from what should’ve been the greatest night of his career.
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