“They always stay calm" - Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk details key reason for the Anfield club's exit from UCL at the hands of Real Madrid

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk recently pointed out a key reason why the Anfield club were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid. The Reds lost by an aggregate of 6-2 over two legs.

Having lost the first leg by a scoreline of 5-2, the Reds were in need of a win by at least a three-goal margin in the second leg. However, they failed to score a single goal in the return leg, while Karim Benzema further increased Los Blancos' lead with his strike in the 78th minute.

Speaking after the match, Van Dijk told RTL7 (via Inside Futbol):

“It was difficult. I think the damage was already done in Liverpool and that was the biggest disappointment. You played against a team who never look stressed."

Van Dijk added:

“They always stay calm, even when we were putting pressure on them, just look at the difference makers like Luka Modric and [Karim] Benzema. If we had scored in the first half it could have been a different game but in the second half, we just fell short.”

After losing to Real Madrid in the final of the competition last season, Liverpool have now been eliminated in the round of 16 this season.

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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the clash against Liverpool

Real Madrid were thoroughly impressive over two legs in their clash against Liverpool. Speaking after the match, Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the two-legged tie.

The Italian manager said (via Los Blancos' official website):

"It was a good game, we delivered a complete performance. It could have been a banana skin but we were disciplined early on, with our ideas clear in our minds, and we finished strongly as well. I have no preference over our next opponents. Our aim is to win the Champions League and to do that, we have to get through every round. Italian football has three teams left, which is great for the game in Italy."

Ancelotti further added:

"We have so much quality, experience, energy and commitment as a group. We're a modern team because we have all of those attributes. Modrić and Kroos played brilliantly because they brought the ball out from the back so well and really helped us keep the game under control. Modrić and Kroos don't play because of the careers they've had, they play because they deserve to.”

Real Madrid secured a place in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League with their convincing win over Liverpool.