Real gives Van Dijk and Gakpo no prospect of miracle, Liverpool inglorious out of Champions League | Champions League

It never became as spectacular as in the first leg in Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Let alone that there was a sensational comeback for Liverpool like in 2019, when against another Spanish giant, FC Barcelona, ​​a 3-0 defeat was brushed away in the return of the semi-final.

In an open match, Liverpool in Spain got no further than shots from Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez before half-time, both expertly parried by Thibaut Courtois. On the other side, Alisson Becker kept Real Madrid striker Vinícius Júnior from scoring with a miraculous save, while Eduardo Camavinga hit the crossbar with a nice shot.

In the second half, Liverpool took extra risks to force a goal and more tension. That mainly gave Real Madrid opportunities. However, Federico Valverde and Karim Benzema did not benefit from good preparatory work by Luka Modric and Vinícius respectively. The French captain did that fifteen minutes before the end. Virgil van Dijk was able to stop him at first, but when Benzema got the ball back from Vinicius, he still gave Real Madrid the double victory in its three hundredth Champions League game.

In the final phase, Liverpool thought they would get a penalty due to a handball from substitute former Willem II player Kostas Tsimikas, but the German referee Felix Zwayer refused to give a penalty despite the intervention of the VAR. After viewing the images, he decided to spare the Greek, who hit the ball through his leg.

Nevertheless, Liverpool, last year’s losing finalist, is ready after the round of 16. In the Premier League, where the English superpower occupies sixth place, it must be prevented that it will not be active in the royal class at all next year.

Real Madrid, which won 6-2 against Liverpool in two matches, is preparing for the Clásico after the small victory and the quiet evening. In it, rival Barcelona must be defeated in Camp Nou on Sunday to also continue to claim the Spanish title.