Madrid (EFE).- Once again Liverpool’s beast noire, a Real Madrid team led by the Brazilian Vinícius signed a placid access to the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Wednesday and closed their striking display at Anfield with a new victory, without suffering or the need for comebacks at last at the Santiago Bernabéu and somewhat at an empty goal from an unknown Karim Benzema.
Away from speculation, with the determination of the result at Anfield and a three-goal advantage, Real Madrid jumped to win. With the lesson learned from a similar scenario against Chelsea a year ago. With his ‘Champions’ suit, an always special identity of a team that did not need an epic in a European qualifying round a long time later. His football in the duel of the 20 European Cups once again boosts him among the favorites.
Gone is the Champions League of comebacks. In these eighths he had to get up from the canvas in the first leg, after fourteen minutes of uncertainty and two goals that unleashed the image full of authority of the king of Europe. With a benchmark like Vinícius who shone throughout the tie. He turned the pitch to the left at the Santiago Bernabéu. Determining one on one, punishing Trent Alexander-Arnold with another night of phrenopathic.
‘Vini’ has earned it hard to be the leader of the team while Real Madrid cross their fingers for the recovery of Benzema. To repeat the success, Ancelotti needs his fine nine. And he is not. With the spaces presented by Liverpool’s need for goals, his urgency, Karim lacked confidence in actions that he had not forgiven for months. A one-on-one annulled by the referee for offside failed at the first warning but served as a wake-up call for Klopp’s team. If they flipped, they would be punished with the offensive speed of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid unleashed an image of power with the confidence of the first leg score, finesse in possession and speed in their game. The game won in beauty until the goalkeepers put the brake to avoid the goals in the first act. Since the scares at the Bernabéu could not be missing, Rüdiger put excitement at the beginning with a gift that Darwin Núñez missed. With the feet and the costume of the last final, Courtois was decisive.
Any action that would feed the hope of an English miracle was firmly stopped by Courtois who made Darwin’s night bitter with a stretch to the right hand close to the post. Between his stops, half an hour of one of the best images of the Real Madrid course. A demonstration that motivation is a key factor in the fight. With Kroos and Modric shining in command, Camavinga stealing and joining up judiciously in a left-footed shot before which Alisson’s mitt flew, allied with the crossbar that repelled the ball.
The Brazilian goalkeeper kept his team in the game, with a save full of reflexes from a point-blank shot by Vinícius who did not stop trying throughout the game. With a speed in each counterattack that he installed doubt at times in Liverpool. But Klopp’s men had no choice but to seek victory. No longer for achieving an impossible, but for saying goodbye with a victory that cured the biggest win received at Anfield in European competition. Darwin’s header and the power of Gakpo’s shot did not challenge Courtois’s safety.
The game was only missing the goals and the finishing touch was in the resumption Fede Valverde with two occasions that he does not usually appear. A one-on-one that he faced too fast in the race to fail against Alisson and a header that caressed the crossbar.
Real Madrid did not suffer even when they recoiled meters. Defensive security and search for Vinícius in the offensive phase in the face of the surprising imprecision of Benzema. On two occasions the Brazilian left him alone with the same finish until he already served him the gift to an empty door eleven minutes from the end for the Frenchman to turn Liverpool into the team that he has scored the most goals against in European competition. Dry of goals in the group stage but appearing again in the duels of all or nothing with three goals in the round of 16.
- Datasheet:
1 – Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal (Lucas Vazquez, m.86), Militao, Rüdiger, Nacho; Camavinga, Kroos (Tchouameni, 84), Modric (Ceballos, 82); Fede Valverde, Vinicius (Marco Asensio, m.84) and Benzema (Rodrygo, m.82).
0 – Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson (Tsimikas, m.91); Fabinho, Milner (Oxlade-Chamberlain, m. 73); Diogo Jota (Elliott, m. 57), Gakpo (Carvalho, m. 91), Darwin Núñez (Firmino, m. 57) y Salah.
Goles: 1-0, m.79: Benzema.
Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany). He admonished the Liverpool coach, Jürgen Klopp (72).
Incidents: second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League, played at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium before 63,127 spectators.
By Roberto Morales