Photo credit: Sports Vision
After last year's Champions League final sparks collision, half a year time flow, Real Madrid and Liverpool once again face each other. This time, the reunion, Real Madrid lineup as the same, and Liverpool is no longer the Red Army of the past.
(Pre-match starting lineup display)
Drums sounded, Liverpool took the lead in launching an onslaught, early in the first half, the Red Army attacked like a tide, Real Madrid's back line was slightly overwhelmed by the pressure of the players one after another, Real Madrid was overwhelmed, and the loss of the ball seemed inevitable.
Just three minutes into the game, Liverpool struck down the right and Salah, with Rüdiger in close proximity, cleverly dipped the ball to the front of the penalty area seven yards out, where Darwin Núñez took a deft touch to put the ball into the net.
Real Madrid's defense looked lax and Salah was in top form, constantly trying to tear down Real Madrid's left side as Liverpool, the hosts, were in full flow.
Photo credit: Sports Vision
However, Real Madrid surprised themselves in the 14th minute when Courtois hesitated to receive the ball and Salah seized the opportunity to add to his tally.
Only 15 minutes into the game, Real Madrid has fallen behind by two goals, the attack is lackluster, Liverpool's midfield is strong, the defense is solid, Real Madrid is difficult to break through.
But Real Madrid did not get discouraged and gradually adjusted their tactics, and in the 20th minute, Vinicius broke through and hit a worldie from 17 yards to bring the score back under Gomez's defense.
Photo credit: Sports Vision
Liverpool continued to attack on the right and Alaba was replaced by Nacho in the 25th minute due to an injury, Nacho came on and held his ground as Liverpool's attack was stymied, a simple goal kick in the 35th minute saw Alisson unable to parry the ball from Vinicius' sprinting run, the ball hit Vinicius' calf and went into the net to give Real Madrid the equalizer.
Just two minutes into the second half, Real Madrid was awarded a free kick on the left side of the box. Militao moved across the box, shook off his marker, and aimed the ball into the net from the six-yard box in the space between Gomez and Darwin Núñez. modric drove a high-speed ball that Gomez couldn't head away.
Real Madrid opened up a lead in the second half and quickly went on a defensive counterattack, with Valverde and Camavinga standing back and not giving Liverpool any more chances to attack. They tried to utilize the speed of Vinicius and Benzema to counterattack. On 54 minutes, Benzema played a two-on-one with Rodrygo on the right and fired a shot into the penalty area, which was refracted into the goal by Gomez, which was really on the side of Real Madrid.
Photo credit: Sports Vision
Liverpool then replaced Darwin Núñez and Gakpo with Jota and Firmino in an attempt to play a positional game. But Real Madrid's control in the backfield had stabilized and Liverpool couldn't find a chance. 66 minutes in, Modric saw Fabinho's mistake in the middle of the field, broke the ball and killed the ball in front of the field, passed to Vinicius, who then passed to Benzema, who calmly dinked over the keeper and scored to make the score a decisive 2-5.
After that, Liverpool couldn't break through the Real Madrid goal again, and finally lost 2-5 at home. Both teams made mistakes in defense. Real Madrid played Camavinga at the back, and the rhythm control was a bit lacking, but with Valverde constantly pulling back, he was able to destroy Liverpool's attack in the middle of the field. Liverpool were lethal in the first half, but passed the ball poorly in the second half. Real Madrid were better on the counter-attack, with the likes of Vinicius, Benzema, Modric and Rodrygo making excellent runs, while Liverpool's two wing-backs were weak in attack.
Having taken a three-goal lead in the first leg, Real Madrid are on course to reach the last eight.
