0
0
Liverpool FC have a monumental challenge to keep their Champions League hopes alive after getting humiliation at Anfield by merciless Real Madrid.
14 times UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid defeated Liverpool in last season’s final in Paris. Real Madrid are now the first team in European history to score five goals at Anfield. At first, Los Blancos were struggling after falling down two goals early on as Liverpool made a fantastic start. Madrid later comeback 5 goals to their last-16 encounter to win the first leg.
Darwin Nunez’s stunning flick put Liverpool ahead after only four minutes. Mohamed Salah capitalized on Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ weak clearance 10 minutes later to increase their lead.
The Champions League song was loudly mocked by Liverpool supporters, who had previously demonstrated their wrath at being falsely blamed for the chaos in last season’s final by waving a flag bearing the slogan “Uefa Liars.” They were swiftly and firmly reprimanded.
Vinicius Junior’s magnificent 21st-minute shot restored parity, but Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson followed Courtois’ example by slicing a clearance straight at the Brazilian, gripping his head in agony as the ball looped behind him into the net in front of a stunned Kop.
That shifted the game’s focus, with Real going ahead two minutes after the break when Eder Militao headed home Luka Modric’s free-kick.
When Karim Benzema’s drive deflected in off Joe Gomez, the French striker added a fifth following more superb work by the ageless Modric.
The Reds has pulled off great comebacks in the past, but turning this one around at the Bernabeu would be something exceptional.
A brutal exposé of Liverpool FC
The Reds began their aspirations by rattling Real Madrid with their high-tempo play, scoring the two goals they felt would set the stage for a night of triumph.
However, Jurgen Klopp’s squad was left to chasing shadows by the game’s finish as Real Madrid’s dominant style and lethal danger in front of goal forced Anfield to become almost silent.
Liverpool host against a team with outstanding talent and experience, which poses a threat on its own. They did not help their predicament with mistakes and poor defense.
Alisson made an uncommon blunder that allowed Real Madrid to draw level. You could feel the belief seeping from the team that has terrorized opponents so many times at Anfield.
Militao’s easy free-kick header was once more made possible by careless marking. While on the other side, the disgruntled Gomez was unlucky to deflect in Benzema’s first.
The concern was that Liverpool might concede even more after the interval, since they scarcely posed a threat.
Klopp will undoubtedly invoke the spirit of Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final, when Liverpool overcame a 3-0 first-leg deficit to advance with a stunning 4-0 win at Anfield, but this is not the same Liverpool, Real are not as flimsy as the Catalans, and the second leg is in Spain this time.
If Liverpool can pull this off, it will be one of the most remarkable accomplishments in the club’s history.
