Klopp and his kickers, like the fans in the stadium on Anfield Road, were astonished to witness how Real quickly turned a 0-2 deficit into a 5-2 shoot-out after 15 minutes. The rerun of last year’s final, which David Alaba and Co. had won, was a clear thing in the end, the dream of a revenge at Liverpool dreamed of. “We still believed in ourselves, but coming back like this is just crazy,” said Real’s German central defender Antonio Rüdiger.
Darwin Nunez (4′) Per Fersler and Mohammed Salah (14′) put the home side ahead – Vinicius Junior (21′, 36′), Eder Militao (47′) and Karim Benzema (55′, 67′) converted the lead Game but ultimately in a Madrid gala. Alaba had to leave the field after almost half an hour when the Madrilenians were 1: 2. Austria’s athlete of the year apparently suffered a muscle injury in his thigh during a defensive action.
After the final whistle, Alaba spoke up via social media with a small warning. “The work is not finished yet,” wrote the defense attorney. On March 15th everything seems to be done in the Estadio Bernabeu. Liverpool manager Klopp doesn’t want to give up hope. “We’re going there, I can already say that, and we’ll try to win the game. I don’t know whether that’s possible or not,” emphasized the German. Above all, he saw defensive hosts who were not acting on an equal footing.
‘Reality check’ for Liverpool
Benzema, but most notably Vinicius Jr., threw Liverpool’s defense into disarray. They made something new. Liverpool had never conceded five goals on a European Cup evening in a home game. Club legend Steven Gerrard identified a “reality check” in the Premier League after a failed start to the season in the “Reds”, who have moved back within striking distance of the CL starting places. “With every team that allows five goals, things have to be questioned,” said the 42-year-old. His longtime teammate Jamie Carragher spoke of an “absolute shambles” with reference to the defensive.
The English press, as was to be expected, was harsh on the losers. The Sun saw Klopp and Liverpool face a wreckage of the Anfield myth after a “night of history and comedy turned to humiliation and horror”. The Daily Mail said: “Anfield is a place where other teams can catch up, but not Liverpool. Anfield is actually, especially on Champions League nights, a place where Liverpool destroy their opponents’ dreams, not the other way around.”
Comeback king strikes again
With Liverpool on the brink, Real once again lived up to their reputation as comeback kings. After goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ blunder in Salah’s goal, some might have stuck their heads in the sand. However, as against Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea on the way to the title last year, there was a turnaround. Coach Carlo Ancelotti knew his team could draw strength from the past. But he didn’t think of such a feat either, he revealed after the game.
“When we were 2-0 down, I thought about the away game at City (3-4 after a quick 0-2, note) last year and hoped for something similar. But it got even better,” said the Italian. His team never lost confidence. “The experienced players helped the youngsters a lot. Karim, Modric and Kroos said: ‘Let’s stay calm, there’s still a lot of time.’ And it worked out in the end,” said Ancelotti.
Vinicius makes ‘biggest difference’
The trainer was allowed to distribute special praise for one of his youngest. “Vinicius is the player in world football who makes the biggest difference. There is no other who takes action so continuously,” Ancelotti said of the 22-year-old Brazilian. The attacker, who polarizes in Spain because of his style on the pitch, shot Real in the 2022 final against Liverpool (1-0) to the title.
Vinicius also rewarded himself for his – statistically verifiable – efforts in this season’s Champions League with his brace at Anfield Road. With 28 attempts, the Brazilian is statistically the player with the most shots towards goal. At 15, Vinicius is also number one in the Champions League when it comes to shots directly at goal. He is also the most fouled player in Europe’s top five divisions.
