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Real Madrid ran out 5-2 winners over Liverpool in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday (February 21). The Reds' revenge mission over Los Blancos continues after they suffered defeat at Anfield.
As Champions League knockout games go, this one was right up there with the very best. The game was enthralling from the get-go, with the Reds on the front foot. Darwin Nunez gave his side the lead in the 4th minute in spectacular fashion. Mohamed Salah assisted him with an impressive eye-of-the-needle pass. However, the Uruguayan striker's finish was breathtaking as he sent a slick backheel past Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
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The Belgian goalkeeper's woes didn't stop there as Jurgen Klopp's side caused havoc once again in the 14th minute. Dani Carvajal played a simple pass back to the shot-stopper. He miscontrolled the ball, sending it right to Salah who sent the Merseysiders into a 2-0 lead.
Real Madrid dug deep and Vinicius Junior breathed life into them in the 21st minute with an exquisite finish. He then equalized in the 36th minute and this time it was Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker's turn to slip up. The Reds stopper smashed the ball into his Brazilian counterpart with the ball nestling in the back of his net.
The frenetic pace of the match continued into the second half, with Los Blancos starting to dominate proceedings. Eder Militao gave them the lead for the first time with a bullet header in the 47th minute. Karim Benzema wasn't going to watch this game pass him by without scoring. The Frenchman's 55th-minute strike took a heavy deflection off Joe Gomez and past Alisson.
Carlo Ancelotti's men then extended their lead to 5-2 in the 67th minute through another Benzema finish. He broke past Alisson and sealed his 18th goal of the season. It means Liverpool have it all to do in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 15.
Twitter user TheEuropeanLad reckons:
"Has to go down among the craziest Champions League games ever this one."
Meanwhile, UK rapper KSI thinks Real Madrid violated the Anfield outfit:
"Real Madrid doing that at Anfield is a major violation."
Here's how Twitter reacted to an enthralling encounter between two of Europe's big guns:
Courtois howler brings back memories of Liverpool's 2018 UEFA Champions League defeat to Real Madrid
Courtois hung his head in shame after his moment of calamity that allowed Salah to put Liverpool 2-0 up. Of course, the Belgian goalkeeper's blushes were spared by an impressive comeback from Real Madrid.
The Anfield faithful are all too familiar with goalkeeping errors in games against Los Blancos. Courtois' blunder holds similarities to that of former shot-stopper Loris Karius' infamous moment of madness in the 2018 Champions League final.
The German had hold of the ball in the 55th minute but bizarrely rolled it out to Benzema. The Frenchman put the Spanish side 1-0 up as Karius shamefully looked away in misery.
The Reds did equalize through Sadio Mane in the 55th minute, but Gareth Bale stepped off the bench to score a brace. His first was a memorable overhead kick in the 64th minute. His second was another Karius error, this time he fumbled the Welsh winger's shot into his net in the 83rd minute.
