Real Madrid, as expected, reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Liverpool. After Madrid’s 5-2 win in the first leg, Liverpool needed a miracle but it didn’t happen: Real won 1-0 at home with a goal from Karim Benzema.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said on Tuesday that he would still try, even if it was 1%. “Not likely, but possible,” said the German.
Maybe something would have been possible if the first big chance had been caught at the Bernabéu. After Real’s reckless loss of the ball, Mohamed Salah put Darwin Núñez in in the seventh minute, but goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved the Uruguayan’s shot well.
opportunities are enough
Liverpool didn’t get the fast opener they wanted and it was an attractive open first half with at least seventeen shots on goal but no goals. For comparison: Three weeks ago, both clubs took a total of eighteen shots on goal, with seven goals scored.
Real’s biggest chance before the break came from Eduardo Camavinga with his long-range shot on the post and Luka Modric who hit the post hard. At Liverpool, Núñez faced Courtois again, and the Belgian goalie was also on duty with a shot about twenty yards outside Cody Gakpo.
Even after the break, it remained a fun game, albeit without tension. Liverpool believed less and less that they could score three more goals in the script, and Real took control more and more.
The Spaniards also had the best chance: Federico Valverde had to find Alisson Becker on his own, but the Brazilian saved his weak shot and also saved Karim Benzema’s later better attempt.
Winner of the match Benzema
Benzema had more chances to score in the 78th minute. A nice pass from Camavinga sent the ball back to the French via Benzema and Vinícius Júnior, who easily slipped in and shattered Liverpool’s last hope.
Benzema was injured at goal after colliding with Virgil van Dijk and was promptly replaced. Real didn’t care that night.
And so, after the quarterfinals in 2021 and the final in 2022, Liverpool lost to Real Madrid for the third time in the Champions League.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
