Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool (6-2 agg): Reds dumped out of Champions League

Karim Benzema has scored much Champions League goals against Liverpool (seven) than against immoderate different team

Liverpool's Champions League hopes ended astatine the hands of Real Madrid for a 3rd consecutive play arsenic they failed to flooded their first-leg Anfield demolition.

But that seldom looked connected the cards and legendary Real striker Karim Benzema enactment the necktie beyond uncertainty erstwhile helium tucked successful from Vinicius Jr's cutback precocious on.

Jurgen Klopp's broadside would person mislaid this crippled by much if not for Alisson.

The Reds goalkeeper denied Vinicius and Eduardo Camavinga with magnificent first-half stops.

If Darwin Nunez had taken a accidental successful the sixth minute, past it could person been a antithetic story.

Liverpool were beaten finalists against Real past summertime but present look a conflict to adjacent beryllium successful the tourney adjacent season, sitting six points down the Champions League places.

One downside for Carlo Ancelotti's Real was Benzema hurting himself portion scoring and having to beryllium replaced, 4 days earlier their must-win El Clasico with Barcelona.

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No occurrence of Madrid

This was the 92nd clip a squad person mislaid by 3 oregon much goals successful the archetypal limb astatine location successful a European Cup tie. All 92 person been eliminated.

Data analysts Gracenote gave Liverpool a 3.92% probability of progression and Jurgen Klopp talked astir a "1% chance" beforehand.

That was the situation they faced aft Madrid enactment connected an accumulation of taking their chances astatine Anfield.

But still, this is Liverpool and this is the Champions League.

In 2005 they came from 3-0 down to bushed Ancelotti's Milan successful the Champions League final. Three years agone they mislaid 3-0 to Barcelona and won the 2nd limb 4-0, though crucially that was astatine home.

Liverpool gave it a spell - they had to - with forwards Diogo Jota, Nunez, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo successful their line-up.

Had Nunez scored aft six minutes alternatively of shooting astatine Thibaut Courtois, who knows what mightiness person happened. The Uruguayan forced different 2 saves from the goalkeeper, astir notably with a good curling effort aft cutting successful from the near wing.

But truly they were fortunate to lone suffer this limb 1-0. There was nary gung-ho, 'heavy metal', blockbuster effort to spell and triumph it.

They did not adjacent person a changeable betwixt James Milner's blocked effort successful the 37th infinitesimal and Harvey Elliott's effort connected people aft 82 minutes.

It could person got somewhat worse successful wounded clip erstwhile referee Felix Zwayer went to the show to spot if Konstantinos Tsimikas had handled the ball, but the determination was nary punishment to Real.

So conscionable similar successful past year's last successful Paris, and the erstwhile season's quarter-final, Real were their Liverpool's conquerors.

The Reds volition undoubtedly decorativeness this play trophy-less and it volition beryllium a immense stroke to their aboriginal plans if they cannot overtake Newcastle and Tottenham to decorativeness 4th successful the Premier League travel the extremity of the season.

More to follow.