There was no historic comeback for Liverpool. Real Madrid’s title defence within the Champions League rolls into the quarterfinals.
Liverpool by no means actually got here near overcoming its three-goal deficit from the primary leg towards the titleholders on the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Wednesday, dropping 1-0 to finish its hopes of one other run to the ultimate.
Karim Benzema scored late and Madrid superior to the final eight for the third straight season with a 6-2 combination rating following a 5-2 win from the primary leg in England, when it rallied from two objectives down early within the first half.
Liverpool was making an attempt to drag off one thing by no means completed earlier than within the Champions League — erase a three-goal loss as a customer. Only 5 instances the crew that misplaced at house rallied within the second leg in Europe’s prime membership competitors.
“You needed a special performance and we didn’t show a special performance,” Liverpool supervisor Jurgen Klopp stated. “In moments, it was a good performance, but Real Madrid was the team in control the whole game. Madrid was the better team and deserved to advance.”
The solely time Madrid did not advance within the Champions League after profitable the primary leg on the highway was in 2019, when it was eradicated by Ajax within the spherical of 16. It had received six of its final seven matches towards Liverpool within the event, drawing one other.
“It was the type of match we wanted,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated. “It was difficult for them to press up front. The team played well, it was focused from the start.”
Napoli defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 within the different round-of-16 match on Wednesday to hitch Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester City within the draw for the quarterfinals on Friday.
Benzema scored from shut vary after a go by Vinícius Júnior within the 79th minute. The France striker, who had missed Madrid’s Spanish league win towards Espanyol final weekend due to an harm, has scored 13 objectives in his final eight Champions League knockout stage matches. He limped in the course of the purpose celebration however stated afterward it was only a knock.
“It was a complicated match, against a good opponent,” Benzema stated. “We showed from the start that we wanted to attack, so it was a good match for the fans and we are into the quarterfinals.”
Liverpool got here out with an attack-minded lineup and confirmed its intentions early, with Darwin Núñez forcing Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to make a tricky save on a breakaway seven minutes into the match.
It was an open match on the Bernabéu and Madrid had its probabilities as effectively, with Eduardo Camavinga coming near scoring within the twentieth with a shot from outdoors the world that struck the crossbar after a deflection by Alisson Becker. The Liverpool goalkeeper additionally stopped an opportunity by Madrid ahead Vinícius Júnior within the first half and one other within the second in a one-on-one state of affairs with midfielder Federico Valverde.
Klopp saved making an attempt to push his crew ahead from the sideline, however because the minutes handed it turned clear it wasn’t going to be sufficient for the English crew.
Liverpool had managed an enormous comeback at house within the 2019 semifinals, rallying towards one other Spanish membership, Barcelona. It received 4-0 after dropping 3-0 on the Camp Nou to maintain alive a run that finally ended with the crew profitable the trophy.
Madrid, which had overwhelmed Liverpool in final yr’s remaining, performed in its three hundredth Champions League sport.
The loudspeakers on the Bernabéu performed Liverpool’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” anthem on the finish of the match as followers from each golf equipment applauded.
“We are two heavyweights who meet one another fairly continuously in worldwide soccer and fairly clearly we respect one another quite a bit,” Klopp said. “It was a very nice gesture, completely.
Osimhen double sends Napoli into final eight
Napoli ahead Victor Osimhen struck both aspect of the break to steer the Italians to a cushty 3-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday and into the Champions League quarter-finals for the primary time.
The 24-year-old Nigeria worldwide, who additionally scored of their 2-0 win over Eintracht in Germany, scored with a header in first-half stoppage time.
Osimhen bagged his twenty third purpose in 28 matches in all competitions this season with a tap-in after a fast four-pass Napoli mixture within the 53rd minute earlier than Piotr Zielinski transformed a penalty to safe a 5-0 combination win.
Napoli are the third Italian crew to advance to the quarters after Inter and AC Milan.
Source web site: www.hindustantimes.com
