Real Madrid cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, beating Liverpool 1-0 at the Bernabeu to progress 6-2 on aggregate
No miracle. No comeback. In the end, not even a goal for the travelling Liverpool supporters to get excited about.
The Reds had descended on the Spanish capital dreaming of the most unlikely of escape acts, but all they got was another harsh lesson from Real Madrid, their Champions League bete noir.
For the fourth time in six seasons, Liverpool’s European dreams were dashed by the kings of this competition, with Karim Benzema’s late strike securing a 6-2 aggregate win and sending Carlo Ancelotti’s men into the quarter-finals.
A sobering reality check for Reds fans, many of whom made an early exit as the game, and indeed the tie, petered out in the dying stages.
Their side had a few opportunities, mostly in the first half, but in truth never looked likely to make any inroads into that 5-2 first-leg deficit.
The damage, most certainly, was done at Anfield, when a two-goal lead became a three-goal problem in little more than 45 minutes, but for Jurgen Klopp and his players, this was a galling reminder of just how far they have fallen since losing to Real narrowly in last season’s final.
