The Bernabéu experienced a European night in peace for the first time in two years. He Real Madrid He showed his most competitive face against Liverpool. He did not speculate with the result, he responded to the seriousness of the stake and ended up rounding off a perfect tie. A dance between a colossus and a weak aspirant, albeit a very friendly and respectful one. If in the first leg the red team honored Amancio, the madridista-dominated crossroads ended with the interpretation of the ‘You’ll never walk alone‘.
The game had nothing to do with the emotional journey of last season. Benzema scored on an empty goal after trying in every way and limping in the celebration. It is the faithful reflection of the Ballon d’Or season, marked by physical discomfort. All in all, he is Real Madrid’s top scorer so far this season. He has 19 goals, the same as Vinicius, who accumulates 10 goal passes, twice as many as Benzema. But beyond the data, the classification of Ancelotti’s men is clean, with lights and practically no shadows.
Benzema will be in the Classical
“It was a difficult game, but from the beginning we showed that we wanted to go forward,” said the Frenchman, who said he felt “a strong blow”but that will not prevent him, as he himself said, “be next Sunday” in the ‘classic’. “All the teams are good, at this level there are no small teams, they are all the same,” declared Benzema when asked about a rival for the quarterfinals. But the truth is that Real Madrid dwarfed Liverpool.
Fabinho said that the 0-0 at halftime could be a good result. A statement that any madridista could sing, aware that ‘happy hour’ starts at minute 80. Or even later. After the glorious succession of the last edition, the white team wants to distort the competition that it has made its own. The comeback was confined to the first leg. In the second leg, a Super League duel, with alternatives for both teams, but without the decisive pressure point.
Real Madrid finds an unusual regularity against their great rivals. These are the duels that do not weigh on veterans like Kroos, with a slow footstep when they face Mallorca and other clubs in the league. Sets that propose a mental and physical effort very different from that of confrontations like Liverpool’s.
Vinicius shines against Liverpool
Open, where the ball flows and Vinicius lights up, but without the risk of leaving a profanity in his wake. He smiled and hugged rivals like Salah. Despite the comfort of the peaceful exchange, Real Madrid is still not precise. The Brazilian is the only one who continues to generate with the operating room accuracy that the Champions League requires.
Ancelotti’s men made 17 shots, 9 of them on goal. The opposite of the Anfield assault, where the whites were the usual European steamroller. The one that does not “have a pass or a dribble to spare”, as Ancelotti claimed after the setback against Betis. Real Madrid managed to reduce the “1%” that Klopp discovered to give the game minimal interest to nothing.
The last action was not a hand
The local team was able to win 2-0, but the referee decided not to call a hand on the last play. “Be careful with this. It’s not football to whistle a hand like that, like the one decreed against Leipzig against City”, assured Ancelotti after the game. The Italian praised the game by Kroos and Modric, “who handled the ball very well from behind” and prevented the psychological spill. “We have complied,” he concluded with satisfaction.
In addition to the step forward of the veterans in the appointments where they are required, the eighth discovered the best Camavinga, who has surpassed in the debate to Tchouaméni in the midfielder. It has even performed on the side. It is the point of “energy” that Ancelotti demands. The Italian retains his poise after a placid duel that proved him right in the decisive stretch of the season.
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