Real Madrid looks at the Champions League as “their” competition and they have reason to: they have won it 14 times. And this unrivaled track record fuels the enduring belief of “meringues”, even in adverse situations. We’ve seen him many times and we saw him again this Tuesday at Anfield, a proud Real Madrid, who beat Liverpool 2-5 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. After being behind by two, Real scored “only” five goals in a row.
It was a show game, mistakes and many goals, very different from what had been the previous confrontation between “reds” It is “whites”, an anemic Champions League final in August of last year, which Real lost to a solitary goal from Vinícius. But Jürgen Klopp’s team seemed well committed to avenging that nightmare in Paris, with a dynamic reminiscent of Liverpool in recent times. After 4′, it was the “reds” putting on a show. Quick move down the right, Mo Salah puts the ball in the area and Darwin Nuñez, with a heel, makes it 1-0.
WHAT IS THIS DARWIN?! ?? INCREDIBLE
?? @ChampionsLeague | @LFC 1 x 0 @real Madrid#ChampionsELEVEN pic.twitter.com/VO56q04jnC
— ELEVEN Portugal (@ElevenSports_PT) February 21, 2023
Anfield went into a frenzy with the ability of the ex-Benfica Uruguayan striker and became more euphoric in the 14th minute, when Thibaut Courtois, usually very secure, fumbled with the ball after a late pass from Carvajal. Salah was nearby and reacted quickly to the Belgian’s mistake to make it 2-0. This was Liverpool making out with Real Madrid and savoring every moment.
Only, out of nowhere, Ancelotti’s team came back to life. At 21′, Benzema handed the ball to Vinícius and let him do the rest. The Brazilian found space in the area and shot into Alisson’s net, showing that you should never underestimate a team as used to winning as Real. And even before the break, themeringues” definitely re-entered the game. At 36′, Joe Gómez delayed Alisson, and the keeper of the “reds” does even worse: he shoots against Vinícius and the ball goes into the goal again.
The first part began to run, the second took almost no time to accelerate. As early as 47′, in a free-kick scored impeccably by Modric, Éder Militão appeared alone in the small area and completed the comeback. He boosted madridistas’ morale to stratospheric levels and plunged Liverpool into a deep depression. Real quickly took advantage of the new balance of forces in the game, with Benzema making it 2-4 in the 56th minute, after a pass from Rodrygo.
BENZEMA, FATHER OF THE CHAMPIONS ??
?? @ChampionsLeague | @LFC 2 x 4 @real Madrid#ChampionsELEVEN pic.twitter.com/8iiwAmSpQm
— ELEVEN Portugal (@ElevenSports_PT) February 21, 2023
Klopp still tried to put fresh heads on the field – Diogo Jota was one of those who entered, at 64′ –, but it was Real who carried the most on the result. At 67′, after receiving the ball from Vinícius in the penalty area, after a tremendous attack by Modric, Benzema took the goalkeeper out of the way to score the fifth for Real Madrid.
peaceful naples
In Frankfurt, there weren’t as many goals or as much emotion as in Liverpool, but there was also a clear winner. In a game led by the Portuguese Artur Soares Dias, Napoli beat Eintracht, by 0-2, confirming the favoritism they had in this tie against the winner of the Europa League last season.
The Neapolitans, who are on the way to recovering the “scudetto” in the Italian Serie A, they even missed a penalty at 36′ (Kvaratskhelia allowed a save by Trapp), but went into the break winning, with a goal by Osimhen, at 40′.
In the second half, Eintracht were reduced to ten, at 56′, with Kolo Muani’s direct red card (Soares Dias was very close and had no doubts), and Napoli took advantage of the numerical superiority to increase their advantage, with a goal by Di Lorenzo in the 65th minute, following an assist from “Kvaradona”.