Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool: 3 key battles that decided the game

#2 Andy Robertson vs Cristiano Ronaldo

A quiet night for Cristiano despite Madrid's fireworks

Where Liverpool's right-back lost the plot, their equally loved left-back put in one of the performances of the game, and certainly did not deserve to be on the losing side.

Real Madrid won at the end, but Robertson's heroic tackle to deny Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring Los Blancos' third goal will forever remain in memory as a mark of will and perseverance.

For the most part, Robertson did not venture forward and stayed within his means, and when he did, he was quick to come back to his allotted position. If not for Robertson possessing the sense and skill to get into good positions, Liverpool would have conceded more.

Cristiano Ronaldo was largely quiet on the night, his only contribution to the game being an assist to Benzema that was correctly adjudged offside. He was not able to get away easily from Robertson and into open spaces in the box later in the game, which he usually does against tired legs.

Robertson vs Ronaldo -stats

With the club season over without a clear leader, the Ballon d'Or will be decided in the World Cup and nobody will be complaining.