Liverpool and Real Madrid met each other again three years on from their fateful UEFA Champions League Final. Los Blancos beat the Reds that night, courtesy of a disastrous performance by Loris Karius. The sides met in the quarter-finals of the 2020/21 edition of the competition with the result, once again, going Madrid’s way.
History repeated itself as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals first leg. Zinedine Zidane’s side took advantage of Liverpool’s defensive lapses to gain the upper hand in the tie. However, unlike the final in 2018, Jurgen Klopp’s men will get a chance to react immediately with the return fixture scheduled for next week.
A Toni Kroos masterclass and a Vinicius Jr double helped Real Madrid overcome Liverpool on the night. The German midfielder took full advantage of the Reds’ high defensive line and constantly picked out runs from his teammates in behind. Kroos picked Vinicius with an inch-perfect pass during the Brazilian’s one such run. The youngster chested the ball into his path before finishing expertly past Alisson in goal.
Real Madrid took the lead in the 27th minute and did not have to wait long to double their advantage. Kroos was instrumental once more as he tried to play Marco Asensio in behind the Liverpool defensive line. The German’s pass looked to be heading away from Asensio before Trent Alexander-Arnold calamitously deflected into the Spaniard’s path. The Madrid attacker flicked the ball over the onrushing Alisson and calmly tapped into an empty net.
With his side trailing, Klopp decided to withdraw Naby Keita before half-time. In his place came Thiago Alcantara as Liverpool looked to control the game better. The change affected the game positively as the Reds scored the next goal. Diogo Jota’s blocked shot fell in the path of Mohamed Salah, who scored past Thibaut Courtois in the Madrid goal.
Liverpool piled the pressure onto Real Madrid as they went searching for the all-important second goal. However, it was Madrid who scored next, with Vinicius grabbing his second of the night. The Brazilian was found inside the box by Luka Modric and diverted the Croat’s pass towards the goal with a first-time shot. Alisson got his hand to the ball, but his connection wasn’t enough to stop it from creeping past the goal line.
Real Madrid take their two-goal advantage to Anfield next week. Liverpool, meanwhile, will hope to fare better against Los Blancos than they did against their rivals Atletico Madrid last season, who had eliminated them in the round-of-16.
In the other fixture, Manchester City took on Borussia Dortmund with all eyes on Erling Haaland. Pep Guardiola’s men took the lead in this match through Kevin De Bruyne. The Citizens capitalized on Emre Can’s mistake before quickly working the ball out to Bruyne inside the box, who finished past Marwin Hitz in goal.
A few controversial decisions then threw the match into chaos. First, City were awarded a penalty only for VAR to overturn the decision. Shortly after, Jude Bellingham raced onto a loose ball before nicking it from Ederson, who was miles away from his goal. However, the Englishman had the goal ruled out and was booked for a challenge on Ederson, despite replays showing that it was the goalkeeper who had committed the foul. The referee blew his whistle just before Bellingham poked the ball into the net, meaning that VAR could not come into play.
Dortmund did get the all-important away goal in the 84th minute. Skipper Marco Reus scored past Ederson in goal after being played through by Haaland. However, their joy was short-lived as City grabbed the equalizer in the 90th minute through Phil Foden.
Despite the loss, Dortmund did score an important away goal, which could come in handy during their second leg against Manchester City next week.
