Champions League roundup: Real Madrid thrash Liverpool, Napoli take Eintracht Frankfurt
The UEFA Champions League round of 16 had two first-leg matches on the 21st. Real Madrid and Naples both won away games. The former beat Liverpool 5:2, and the latter beat Frankfurt 2:0.
On February 21, Benzema (second from right) scored the team’s fourth goal in the game.Xinhua News Agency
The two teams that met in the Champions League final last season met early this season. Liverpool, who were at home at Anfield that day, had a perfect start, leading by two goals after the opening 14 minutes. However, the Champions League defending champion Real Madrid then staged a Jedi counterattack, equalizing the score in the first half, and winning three consecutive games in the second half.
Just four minutes into the game, Nunes scored with his heel after receiving a cross from Salah’s right. Ten minutes later, Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois made a major mistake in stopping the ball and sent the ball to Salah who was close at hand. The Egyptian striker took the opportunity to expand the score to 2:0.
However, Real Madrid, who are good at counterattacks, did not mess up their positions, but quickly turned on the “chasing” mode. In the 20th minute, Vinicius forcibly kicked the goal from the left side of the penalty area. In the 36th minute, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson also made a mistake and kicked the ball on Vinicius’s leg, and the ball bounced into the net.
Liverpool, whose morale was hit hard, collapsed quickly in the second half. Only two minutes into the game, Modric took a free kick from the left and Militao headed home to help Real Madrid overtake. In the 55th minute, Benzema and Rodrigo made a two-for-one cooperation and kicked in the penalty area. The ball hit the heel of Liverpool defender Gomez and bounced into the goal. In the 67th minute, Real Madrid made another reactionary and quick counterattack. Vinicius distributed the ball to Benzema in the middle.
In Frankfurt, although Napoli missed a penalty in the first half, they quickly relied on a quick counterattack and Osimhen scored. In the second half, the home team’s player Mulaney was sent off for stamping on his opponent. In the 65th minute, the dominant Naples was hit by Di Lorenzo’s curve ball, and the score was fixed at 2:0. (Reporter Zhang Wei)