liverpool crashed out of the Champions League with a 6-2 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid; Karim Benzema clinched the second leg with a late winner; Man City turned on the style with a seven-goal hammering of RB Leipzig; Erling Haaland stole the show but Kevin De Bruyne thrilled.
Liverpool’s capitulation at Anfield had left them needing another miraculous European comeback to reach the last eight but it did not materialise at the Bernabeu, the reigning champions ramming home their advantage with Benzema’s close-range strike (78).
Darwin Nunez went closest for Jurgen Klopp’s side in an entertaining first half when he was twice denied by Thibaut Courtois, but Liverpool were indebted to their own goalkeeper, Alisson, for keeping Madrid at bay with a series of saves before their goal.
Madrid, winners over Liverpool by the same scoreline in last year’s final, will now aim to go on and lift the trophy for the 15th time, leaving Klopp’s men with a top-four finish in the Premier League as their sole remaining target in a bitterly disappointing season.
The first chance fell to Liverpool, with Courtois denying Nunez after Mohamed Salah had got the better of Antonio Rudiger, but a succession of Madrid opportunities followed.
Benzema and Vinicius Junior, the pair that so terrorised Liverpool in the first leg, threatened an opener when the latter’s cut-back just eluded his team-mate, and the visitors needed their goalkeeper to save them soon after that.
Alisson’s point-blank stop from Vinicius was outstanding, and he rescued Liverpool again when he acrobatically tipped a long-range effort from Eduardo Camavinga onto the crossbar.Luka Modric sent another powerful strike from distance narrowly over but Liverpool soon started to grow into the game, with Nunez and Cody Gakpo spurning headed opportunities before the former drew a fine one-handed save from Courtois with a curling effort.Vinicius remained a threat up against Trent Alexander-Arnold but Liverpool went close again when Gakpo’s stinging shot from the right-hand corner of the box had to be pushed around the post by Courtois.Madrid’s experience told in the second half, however, as the wily hosts negated Liverpool’s attacking threat and controlled the game, with the evergreen Luka Modric at the heart of things.
Federico Valverde was denied by Alisson in a one-on-one soon after half-time and more Madrid chances followed, with Valverde again going close when he headed a Modric cross over, and Benzema blasting a shot into the stands from a Vinicius centre.
It appeared Liverpool might at least claim a draw after that uncharacteristic miss from Benzema, but the Frenchman made no mistake when Vinicius failed to connect with his shot following a ball over the top, instead sticking out a leg to set up his team-mate.
There was a lengthy VAR check for a Madrid penalty in stoppage time, prolonging a disappointing evening for the visitors, but the referee decided not to penalise substitute Kostas Tsimikas for handball after consulting the pitchside monitor.
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