Real win at Liverpool stadium
Being 2-0 down after only 14 minutes, but Real Madrid scored five goals straight at Anfield to take a big advantage after the first leg. Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior both scored twice to give the Spanish club a foot in the quarterfinals. The British newspaper Guardian commented that the away team had "humiliated" Liverpool, when for the first time conceded five goals in a Champions League match.
Liverpool entered the match with both improved form and confidence thanks to two consecutive wins against Everton and Newcastle. However, Real Madrid shows the class of Spanish, European and world champions. The audience witnessed the goal party, with a series of mistakes from the players and goalkeepers of both teams, but there was no shortage of masterpieces.
Darwin Nunez opened the scoring in the fourth minute, from Mohamed Salah's low cross. The Uruguayan striker slipped behind the away team's defense and hit his heel randomly, causing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to stand still and watch the ball fly into the net. Most of the Anfield audience jumped up, blasting this fortress.
The Anfield pitch seemed to be more slippery than usual, causing players from both teams to alternately slip if they could not stand, leading to consecutive goals. In the 14th minute, midfielder Eduardo Camavinga slipped in the middle of the field, and although Real could neutralize Liverpool's counterattack, goalkeeper Courtois blocked the error to help Salah cushion a simple net.
Real did not flinch after two early goals, still calmly deploying the ball. Seven minutes later, Benzema and Vinicius had a small coordination at the edge of the host's penalty area, and then the Brazilian striker decisively shot into the far corner to beat compatriot Alisson. After the tense minutes at the beginning of the match, the Spanish audience seemed to be relieved of the pressure at Anfield, and burst with happiness.
The match then became more open, when the two teams continuously bombarded the goal and the goal could come at any time. However, the next goal came in an unexpected ball, with Vinicius putting pressure on goalkeeper Alisson to pass the ball to the foot of the compatriot striker and fly back to the home net.
Liverpool sucked to death at the end of the first half, when Rydrygo had a chance to shoot from close range but defender Andrew Robertson cleared the ball right in front of this striker's boot. However, the home side still conceded another goal right after the break, when Luka Modric kicked the ball into the penalty area for central defender Eder Militao to head strongly without giving Alisson a chance to save.
Coach Jurgen Klopp did not seem to understand what happened then. There were a number of players standing in the 5.5m area of Liverpool, but somehow Militao still had too much space to shoot.
The host started to break the match in the 55th minute, this time from a somewhat unfortunate situation. Benzema slams Rodrygo on the edge of the penalty area, then shoots his left foot into the far corner. The ball grazed Joe Gomez and changed direction into the net, making Alisson unable to do anything. VAR checked to see if the goal was legal, and it was Gomez who kept Rodrygo from being offside.
Liverpool's nightmare ended in the 67th minute, when Fabinho caught the ball too far in the middle of the pitch, allowing Modric to steal it. The 38-year-old midfielder pitched the ball along the middle, then poked a slot for Vinicius, letting the striker pass the ball across to Benzema. In the face-to-face, the 2022 Golden Ball calmly tricked the goalkeeper and then padded into the empty net to seal a 5-2 victory.
In the last minutes, Real defended three goals. In the stands, the away team's fans continuously sang "Olé, Olé, Olé", because Real was sure of victory and even the place to go on.
"Strange match", the Guardian commented further. The two teams bring a football party true to the appeal of the Champions League. Because the away goal rule no longer applies, Liverpool still have a chance if they win by three goals in the second leg at the Bernabeu in three weeks. This tournament is always full of surprises, but if they continue to defend like at Anfield, the English club could receive more bitter fruit in Madrid.
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez (Matip 73), Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson (Milner 73), Fabinho, Bajcetic (Elliott 85); Salah, Gakpo (Firmino 64), Nunez (Jota 64).
Real: Courtois; Carvajal, Eder Militao, Rudiger, Alaba (Nacho 27); Valverde, Camavinga, Modric (Kroos 87); Rodrygo (Ceballos 81), Benzema (Asensio 87), Vinicius Jr.
