Real Madrid traveled to Anfield Stadium on Tuesday night to face Liverpool and came away with a stunning 2-5 victory in their Champions League round of 16 first-leg tie.
After defeating Liverpool in two UEFA Champions League finals in the last five years (in 2018 and 2022), Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr each scored twice as Real Madrid annihilated Liverpool in front of their home fans.
Madrid was confined to their half while maintaining possession of the ball thanks to Liverpool’s excellent shutting down of the midfield.
Nonetheless, Darwin Nunez’s incredible goal put Liverpool ahead after only four minutes.
Mo Salah drove forward and fired a cross toward the middle, prompting David Alaba to push back. Darwin Nunez outran two Real Madrid players before attempting a perilous backheel flick that flew past Courtois.
Following the goal, the frantic pace of the game slowed, with Liverpool taking control and Real Madrid remaining deep while effortlessly bouncing the ball around in the middle of the field.
Liverpool kept possession of the ball and applied pressure to score a second goal. Courtois then made a costly error that led to Liverpool’s second goal in the 14th minute.
Carvajal’s pass to Courtois ricocheted back, separating Gody Gakpo from the ball. Courtois was taken aback when the ball landed directly on his leg and bounced off. Mo Salah, who was in the right place at the right time, slipped it in.
Real Madrid fought back after conceding two quick goals, with Vinicius Jr. taking the lead in the 21st minute.
Before gliding past Fabinho, executing a quick one-two with Benzema, and firing a left-footed shot past Alisson and into the bottom right corner of the net, the Brazilian performed some beautiful dancing.
Alaba suffered a hamstring injury five minutes later and had to be helped off the field. Nacho stepped in for him.
Despite the fact that Madrid appeared to have lost control of the game despite scoring a goal, they were threatening up front once they recovered from Liverpool’s quick pace.
Alisson made a costly error in the 38th minute, tying the game at 2-2.
During Real Madrid’s counterattack, Gomez stopped Vinicius Jr. by passing the ball to Alisson. The goalkeeper attempted to clear the ball but smacked Vinicius instead, causing the ball to loop back into the net.
After Luka Modric’s free kick two minutes into the second half, Real Madrid increased the score to 2-3. The Croatian blasted the free kick into the box, and Militao headed it in for Madrid.
Real Madrid appeared to settle into the game after taking the lead, kicking the ball around with ease, but they had to be wary of the Reds’ pace.
Benzema’s deflection off Gomez’s thigh gave Los Blancos a two-goal lead in the 55th minute.
Jurgen Klopp changed Gakpo for Firminho, Nunez for Jota, Gomez for Matip, and Henderson for Milner, but it didn’t make much of a difference.
In the 67th minute, Real Madrid launched a counterattack. Modric found Vinicius Jr., who passed the ball to Benzema, who made it 2-5 for the visitors.
Despite late pressure from the Reds, Real Madrid held on to secure a significant victory and will enter the second leg match at Santiago Bernabéu in March with a significant advantage.