Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid: Champions League last 16, first leg

76 The Yong. “I thought there were some words of praise for the way Real have built this team. The three Brazilians, Vini, Rodrygo and Eder, the two Frenchmen Tchouameni and Camavinga, and the Uruguayan Valverde, have all signed remarkable bets with such a high cost. young players, but everyone has paid or probably will pay enormously”.

Yes, this is an excellent point. It’s a fascinating change of direction, buying the next generation of stars instead of finished products. And it works: Vinicius in particular seems to me a future Ballon d’Or. Everyone hails the Galactiembryons.

73 mins: Double substitution for Liverpool Joel Matip and James Milner replace Joe Gomez, who played quite well in the first half but has had a very difficult time since the break, and Jordan Henderson.

72 min It could get worse, you know. Liverpool seem understandably plunged into despair.

70 minutes This is currently Liverpool’s heaviest European defeat at Anfield, surpassing the 3-0 loss to, yes, Real Madrid in 2014-1

70 mins Alexander-Arnold’s corner is headed straight at Courtois by Firmino. It was half a chance.

69 min How to finish, with Karim.Karim Benzema got the ball into the net! Fabinho’s heavy touch allowed Modric to slot the ball 20 yards into his own half. In the middle of the match, he shot away from Bajcetic and suddenly Madrid had a break of three to two. Modric played a simple through ball to Vincius, who shot inside late defender Van Dijk and then passed to Benzema on the edge of the area. Benzema ran past Alisson and passed the ball past the two defenders on the line with his left foot. How good was that? His heartbeat was off, but Liverpool have really stood up for the last five years” said Lee Purchase. “They have fallen off a cliff and will be punished several times this season if they continue to give up pockets of chances in every game . Summer can’t come soon enough for a midfield overhaul.”

Can they afford one? This is a serious question, I’m not trying to be a smart derriere.

65′ Alexander-Arnold’s classic cross narrowly escapes Firmino and is rejected by Carvajal for a corner kick. There have been so many mood swings that we shouldn’t rule out one more.

The angle clears to Bajcetic, 100 feet away, and curls a few feet wide. It wasn’t as close as it first seemed. 64′: Double substitutions Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota replace Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez, whose great goals seem like an eternity.

63′ Rüdiger exposes well wide from distance.

63′ Real Madrid hold the ball for a while before Carvajal’s cross clears Vinicius away. Liverpool is up for grabs; they look shocked.

62 min “Definitely a penalty for Nunez to make it 3-2,” said Francis Mead. “A clear and definitive thrust.”

According to BT Sport, he hasn’t even been checked by VAR.

60 min Vinicius Jr is booked for preventing Fabinho from taking a quick free-kick. What should it.

59 min Rüdiger goes down after a no-ball incident with Nunez, who is cautioned by the referee. Nunez didn’t do much wrong, just an eager transfer that Rudiger made the most of. 57 min ‘Liverpool might miss at the end’, Matt gives Dony a high five. “If they do (and there’s no shame in losing to this Madrid side) then at least they do it playing like ‘Liverpool’. Not the flimsy, tasteless mess they were during the major part of the season. Yes, I know there is still a long way to go, but the approach to this game is very positive. Maybe they haven’t turned yet, but the indicators are on , they have passed through the path of the filter, they are approaching the summit…”

Benzema played a three-pointer with Rodrygo just inside the Liverpool box, stretching to land a tame left-footed shot that snagged Gomez and Alisson. Without the deflection, it would have been an easy save. Dear me. There is a VAR check for offside against Rodrygo in the buildup, but it was played onside by… yes, poor old Joe Gomez.

OBJECTIVE! Liverpool 2-4 Real Madrid (Benzema 55′)

Joe Gomez night goes from bad to worse!

53 min Alexander-Arnold delivered a very dangerous and bouncing cross towards Nunez, who was about to head the ball towards goal when he received a slight push from Carvajal which sent him off balance. Liverpool want a penalty; Istvan Kovacs disagrees and there is no VAR control. Hmm, I’d like to see it again.

52 min Vinicius Jr beat Alexander-Arnold again – it will be a painful misalignment – ​​to win a corner kick from Henderson. Real took it short and fumbled a bit until Modric cleared a cross that went behind for a goal kick.

49 min Gomez gives the ball away with a lazy pass and then flattens Vinicius with a finishing arm. Vinicio did his best. When Gomez’s pass was intercepted, an extremely audible yell of “Forking wake up! Wake up!” It sounded like a Mackem accent, so it could have been anyone.

47′ It was a strange goal, because even if the area was full, Militao had enough space when he scored. I’d like to review it to see who should have branded it, if anyone at all.

Half an hour ago, Real Madrid were down 2-0 and the final mess. Now they are leading the way! Modric struck the free-kick into a crowded area, where Militao ran to the ball and fired a header past Alisson. This time, Alisson didn’t stand a chance.

OBJECTIVE! Liverpool 2-3 Real Madrid (Militao 47)