– We are frustrated after the result and made too many mistakes. Real Madrid punished us on every occasion, admits Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to BT Sport. There was in no way any revenge from the final loss last season for Liverpool. Instead, the Reds were humiliated by the reigning champions, eventually losing 5-2 at Anfield. – It is tough. It is difficult to stand here and speak now, says Henderson. – The humiliation is gigantic, exclaimed TV 2’s commentator Øyvind Alsaker when Real Madrid scored their fifth goal of the evening. – What an unreal keeper’s blunder The jubilant scenes were a stark contrast to earlier in the evening. Because the nightmare start was complete for Real Madrid when Thibaut Courtois fumbled and lost the ball straight to Mohamed Salah, who could have doubled Liverpool’s lead before the quarter had been played – It is unreal that the world’s best goalkeeper manages to mess up the ball like this, said the TV 2 expert Jesper Mathisen when Liverpool went up to 2–0. – I was going to hit the ball away, but then Salah stopped, and I thought I had time to move it onto my right leg. Then it bounced on my knee, explained Courtois himself after the match. But the pitch-dark start was to suddenly brighten for the guests in the first round of 16 match in the Champions League. GOAL SCORERS: Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. were the heroes of the match with two scores each. Here together with the third goalscorer Éder Militão. Photo: PAUL ELLIS / AFP First Vinicius Jr. reduced, before the same man had to take advantage of a new, huge goalkeeping gap in the opposite half of the pitch. Alisson Becker served the ball right at the feet of his compatriot. – What a new, terrible and unreal goalkeeping error by such a fantastic goalkeeper, Mathisen thought. If the drama was over there? No. Real Madrid scored once, twice and three more times, turning the game around after goals from Éder Militão and Karim Benzema twice. By then the visitors had scored five goals (!) in 46 minutes. – This has developed into a disaster for Liverpool, said the BBC’s football expert Alan Shearer. – A statue would move more There was little sound from the away corner at Anfield when the quarter of the match had passed. Just before Salah’s goal, Darwin Núñez had given the home team the lead with a wonderful back-heel flick. With two goals in front, high pressure and several dangers, Liverpool seemed to have good control on their own turf. That was before Vinicius Jr. decided to take action. Twice the Brazilian put the ball in the net and the teams were level before the break. – I can’t believe what I see in terms of the number of mistakes that are made on the pitch. It was a terrible mistake from Thibaut Courtois earlier and it’s the same from Alisson, commented striker legend Shearer on the BBC. DOUBLE: Salah could easily make it 2-0 after a mistake from Thibaut Courtois. Photo: Jon Super / AP The whites continued with a practiced free-kick variant, where Militão put the ball into the goal, and after a shot from Benzema, which went through a Liverpool leg, Real Madrid had already gone up to 4-2 ten minutes after break. – It’s a nice ball from Modric, but it’s far too easy a goal for Liverpool to concede. A statue would move more than the Liverpool defenders, Shearer said of Liverpool’s defensive play. The humiliation was to be complete when Karim Benzema scored his second of the night after a wonderful solo raid to make the score 5-2. – We played with personality and want to win the Champions League again. They started better than us, but this was a big game and we were prepared, says star player Karim Benzema to BT sport. Carlo Ancelotti’s men thus have a great starting point before the second leg in Madrid on Wednesday 15 March. – We must play as in the first half for 95 minutes. It is possible, but one needed momentum again. They gained confidence and scored great goals. That’s how it is. It is a strange match, but there is a lot to be gained from this match, says Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp at the press conference after the match, according to TV 2.
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