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Liverpool were ”put out of their misery” in the Champions League by holders Real Madrid who eased to a 1-0 round of 16 win at the Bernabeu on Thursday (AEDT).
After Madrid walloped the Reds 5-2 in the first leg at Anfield, Liverpool required a miracle which never got close to materialising despite no shortage of endeavour.
Rather than park the bus, Madrid participated in an attractive spectacle and got their reward in the 78th minute through world player of the year Karim Benzema.
Watch Erling Haaland, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, streaming ad free, live and exclusive on Stan Sport
The Frenchman had the easiest of finishes after a clever touch from Vinicius Jr before hobbling away in celebration.
Benzema took a knock before his goal but was able to play on.
The tie was a rematch of last year’s Champions League final, won 1-0 by Madrid.
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“The desire to climb this mountain was there at the start of the evening but they’re not going to reach the summit,” commentator Martin Tyler said of Liverpool on Stan Sport’s coverage.
“Put out of their misery by the first goal of the evening.”
Liverpool was trying to pull off something never done before in the Champions League – erase a three goal loss as a visitor.
Only five times have the team that lost at home rallied in the second leg.
The only time Madrid failed to advance in the Champions League after winning the first leg on the road was in 2019, when it was eliminated by Ajax in the round of 16.
It had won six of its last seven matches against Liverpool in the tournament, drawing another.
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Napoli defeated Eintracht Frankfurt in Thursday’s other match to join Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester City in the draw for the quarter-finals on Friday (10pm AEDT, live on Stan Sport).
Benzema has now scored 13 goals in his last eight Champions League knockout games.
“It was a complicated match, against a good opponent,” the striker said.
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“We showed from the start that we wanted to attack, so it was a good match for the fans and we are into the quarterfinals.”
Liverpool came out with an attack minded lineup and showed its intentions early, with Darwin Nunez forcing Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to make a tough save on a breakaway seven minutes in.
Madrid had its chances as well, with Eduardo Camavinga coming close to scoring in the 20th minute with a shot from outside the area that struck the crossbar after a deflection by Alisson.
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The Liverpool goalkeeper also stopped a chance by Madrid forward Vinicius in the first half and another in the second in a one-on-one with midfielder Federico Valverde.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp kept trying to push his team forward from the sideline, but as the minutes passed it became clear it wasn’t going to be enough.
Liverpool had managed a big comeback at home in the 2019 semi-finals, rallying against Barcelona.
It won 4-0 after losing 3-0 at the Camp Nou to keep alive a run that eventually ended with the team winning the trophy.
The loudspeakers at the Bernabeu played Liverpool’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ anthem at the end of the match as fans from both clubs applauded.
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