Liverpool could be the previous champions of European comebacks, but their luck ran out at the Bernabeu on Wednesday as Real Madrid put them aside to secure a place in the quarter finals of the Champions League.
Liverpool were 5-2 down after that remarkable first leg at Anfield and needed three goals to take the tie into extra time and never seemed to be able to produce such an upset.
It meant the reigning European champions advanced to Friday’s quarter-final tie, leaving Jurgen Klopp to focus simply on trying to salvage their top-four finish. Premier League campaign.
Our experts look at the main talking points.
Liverpool bows out with a whimper
If there was a moment to sum up Liverpool’s failure to come into this three-goal gap from the first leg, this was it Mohamed Salah‘s underhit pass with Darwin Nunez unmarked and waiting to be dropped into a one-on-one keeper Thibaut Courtois early in the second half.
Heading into the game with such a mountain to climb, Liverpool knew they needed to be clinical in front of goal. They were against it.
Jurgen Klopp’s attacking choice of Nunez, Salah, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo did not hide his intentions, but his team lacked the killing instinct in the final third.
They had moments; Salah slotted Nunez in for the opener five minutes after capitalizing on a loose pass from Madrid, but the latter could only fire straight at Courtois.
Jurgen Klopp failed to orchestrate an unlikely Madrid comeback (Image: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
It set the tone for Liverpool on the night, where they had some promising chances, particularly in the first half, but lacked a presence with the final ball or their finishing.
Nunez and Gakpo forced saves before the break, but as the game wore on, Liverpool’s play became more forced and desperate, and they struggled to find the pace and energy they had during their first 45-minute spell.
You could see the belief drain from the players before your very eyes and the game went flat in the last 30 minutes with Carlo Ancelotti’s side in complete control.
They needed to channel the spirit of Istanbul 2005, but Klopp’s side never looked like staging a miracle second-half comeback and showed little urgency or enthusiasm.
Andy Jones
Madrid can dance every dance
While the style has evolved under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s mantra remains The Champions League has so often been “embracing chaos”. They had the same intention the first game with Madridshocking cup winner Carlo Ancelotti in the first 20 minutes like an underdog boxer giving a seasoned veteran a bloody nose.
Madrid are veterans at this stage – there is so little that fazes them. We saw that in the previous game when they turned that 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 win and it was the same tonight.
Liverpool started well at the Bernabeu but what was Madrid’s response? No problem. We have a fiery left winger who can burn past his opposite number at will.
Do you want to get off us? Even not a problem, we have Toni Kroos, Luka Modricand blooming Eduardo Camavinga able to provide midfield master classes.
Toni Kroos was impressive against Liverpool (Image: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Just say what you want – Madrid can dance the way you want to dance.
In truth, Liverpool’s intensity was lacking for a long time, especially given their need for such a goal-scoring turnaround. It was a strange game for that reason as they vacillated between a controlled and aggressive approach, knowing that the tie could be over with one mistake.
In the end, they barely managed to lay a glove on Madrid and the heavyweights of this competition were able to move on with minimal fuss.
Mark Carey
Alisson proving that Anfield was an anomaly
Throughout this season, Liverpool have been grateful that Alisson is not one of their players to experience a significant slump in form.
The Brazilian goalkeeper has arguably been Liverpool’s player of the year but his mistake for Real Madrid’s second goal in the first legkicks the ball directly at a national player Vinicius Jr and seeing it loop into the net was the start of his side’s eventual 5-2 loss.
With Liverpool needing to push forward tonight to try and eat into their three-goal deficit, they were going to take risks and expose themselves to counter-attacks. They needed a big performance from their goalkeeper and Alisson was back to his best.
In the first half, he made two incredible saves, first from Vinicius Jr on a goal after goal. Antonio Rudiger‘s knockdown and then dived at full stretch to his left to tip Eduardo Camavinga’s long-range effort onto the crossbar.
Alisson saves well from Vinicius Junior (Image: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images)
He was awake again in the second half when he sprawled on his feet Federico Valverde to save another well, even though nothing could be done Karim BenzemaA late goal that decided the game tonight.
Alisson made six saves in total, a performance that, while it didn’t quite make up for his mistakes in the previous match, at least showed why he is one of the best in the world.
Andy Jones
Kroos control so impressive
Toni Kroos came into this game with the idea (albeit a fantasy) that it could be his last Champions League game – but his performance in the 84 minutes he spent on the pitch suggested he still has a lot more to give in the coming months . , and even years.
Kroos, 33 and out of contract in June, has repeatedly said publicly that he is not sure he will sign a new contract and if he doesn’t, he will retire. Athletic believes he will remain at the Bernabeu, but there is still a sliver of doubt over his future.
The German dominated the starting line-up tonight, his short and long passing helping Madrid take control and curtail any chance of a Liverpool comeback. His confident, tidy performances in his own half also showed how confident he and his teammates were that they would remain unbeaten.
Toni Kroos’ discipline is highlighted by his touch card, which highlights how his touch is concentrated either side of the midfield.
He also looked keen to score a more prominent goal on the night – bursting into Liverpool’s box early on and soon firing in from 25 yards which Alisson did well to stop. Kroos continued to have a huge impact on the game, regularly getting in front of the opposition to win the ball back.
He is well on his way to a sixth Champions League trophy (he has won four with Madrid and one with Bayern Munich), which would equal the European Cup record won by the late Madrid legend Francisco Gento. And continuing to set a new mark of seven – whether with Madrid or elsewhere – should not be ruled out.
Dermot Corrigan
All changes relate to Klopp
In many ways, Jurgen Klopp’s hand was forced tonight – a three-goal deficit to make up for the Spanish, European and world champions, with key midfield players missing through injury and illness.
That meant Liverpool lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and switched to a 4-4-2 when he didn’t have the ball – a formation that Klopp has used this season, but is less familiar to his players.
In a scenario where your distances need to be perfect off the ball and your attacking patterns need to be well-versed to achieve the required results, this was also a Liverpool line-up that was simply not familiar as an XI – and it showed.
Karim Benzema challenges Liverpool’s Diogo Jota (Photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images)
The visitors lacked enthusiasm throughout the game and while there were some promising exchanges between the starting front four of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah, it wasn’t enough to really trouble Madrid’s back line. sustained period.
Even with Liverpool’s best starting line-up, their task of scoring three unanswered goals at the Bernabeu seemed too far out of reach. With an XI that was starting together for the first time all season, it’s hardly surprising that they didn’t crack on the night.
Mark Carey
The Napoli team to fear for Madrid
With Madrid in full control of the second half and Liverpool knowing a comeback was beyond them, minds at the Bernabeu and beyond wandered to who Madrid could get in Friday’s quarter-finals.
There is the possibility of a rematch against the two English sides they beat spectacularly in last season’s knockout stages and perhaps Madrid would prefer not to attend Chelsea or, specifically, Manchester City teams were going to get revenge.
Bayern Munich are historically seen as an ‘ogre’ in the Spanish capital, but recently Madrid have had the better of their frequent Champions League encounters. None of Benfica, AC Milan or Inter Milan will probably cause the European Cup holders too much to worry about.
The most interesting could be Napoli, who could give Madrid a big challenge. It is not difficult to imagine a situation where a refugee Series A The attacking duo of the leaders, Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, put their teams well ahead in the first leg in Naples.
That would give Ancelotti, who spent a year and a half in charge of Napoli from the summer of 2018 – and his side another chance to overturn the tie in their usual dramatic fashion.
Dermot Corrigan
(Top photo: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
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