Liverpool failed to produce a famous European comeback and was condemned to Champions League elimination.
The Reds improved from their 5-2 thrash in the first leg at Anfield. Their efforts went to waste as they were comfortably second best to los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu.
By far, Alisson was the visitor’s most impressive player on the night. He made a string of brillian saves while his side struggled to create any clear-cut chances for their attacking line-up to capitalise on.
On the other hand, Liverpool scored a deserved goal to extinguish any hopes of a late Liverpool miracle. Karim Benzema tapped into an open net with just over 10 minutes remaining.
European exit at the last-16 stage means Klopp’s side will have to devote all their attentin to the Premier League top-four battle. Meanwhile, Real Madrid underlined their credentianls to defend their Champions League crown with a composed, intelligent performace in front of their own fans.
The match had some sought of “fan” in it with Trent Alexander Arnold and Vinicius junior rivalry renewed. Alexander Arnold has not had the best time when facing the electric vinicius junior. The Liverpool right back has been bested by one of the most devastating wingers in world football on numerous occassions.
Yet again, the spotlight was fixecd on his performance against Madrid’s No.20. Arnold began the match nervously. However, he took out Vinicius with a slide tackle at the byline and struggled to locate his intended target while passing.
That set the tone for another occassion when Vinicius got the better of his rival and went on to play a key role in Benzema’s late goal which killed off the tie.
If there was one player who summed up Real Madrid’s composed performance, it was Eduardo Camavinga at the base of the hosts’ midfield.
The former Rennes prodigy, was flanked by two Champions League legends in Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Jurgen Klopp’s second-half changes, which also included sending Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on for James Milner, made no impact on the course of the game.
Los Blancos continued to look unflappable while out of possession. Camavinga’s cool head was in contrast to Jurgen Klopp’s fiery demeanour. As a result, Klopp was booked for protesting against the officials too forcefully.
A deserved breakthrough for Real Madrid eventually came in the 78th minute. Vinicius Junior’s mishit shot fell into Karim Benzema’s path. The Frenchman was left with the simple task to finish into a gaping net.
Whatever Jurgen Klopp’s reasoning, the Reds lined up with four recognised forwards. Diogo Jota led the line flanked by Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez. Cody Gakp floated between the attack and the right side of the midfield.