Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp saw his side struggle to contain Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. AFP
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp saw his side struggle to contain Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. AFP
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp saw his side struggle to contain Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. AFP
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp saw his side struggle to contain Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. AFP

Sport

Football

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: Real Madrid were the better team and deserve to go through

Reds exit Champions League at last-16 stage following 6-2 aggregate defeat

Steve Luckings
Steve Luckings

March 16, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp conceded his side were second best against Real Madrid following their meek exit from the Champions League on Wednesday.

Karim Benzema’s 78th-minute goal gave the hosts a 1-0 victory on the night but all the damage had been done in the first leg, which Liverpool lost 5-2.

READ MORE

Ancelotti hails Real Madrid's 'quality and commitment' after emphatic win over Liverpool

“It’s true. We came here with the backpack we had with the three goals difference, and you need a special performance and we did not show a special performance tonight,” he said.

“In moments it was a good performance but Real Madrid were the team in control for most of the game. They had the better chances.

“Ali [goalkeeper Alisson Becker] had to make two sensational saves to keep us in the game and that’s the reason [we lost].

“If you want to get through, you need to be outstanding. If you want to win the game, you need to be really good, and Madrid was the better team and that’s why the right team went through to the next round.”

Real Madrid v Liverpool ratings

REAL MADRID RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois – 7. Made some strong saves to deny Nunez and Gakpo and came out to collect balls well. Recovered after dropping Robertson’s free-kick delivery. AP
REAL MADRID RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois – 7. Made some strong saves to deny Nunez and Gakpo and came out to collect balls well. Recovered after dropping Robertson’s free-kick delivery. AP
Dani Carvajal – 6. Got himself out of trouble after a mistake and went on to do a good job defensively, even if he did needlessly concede a corner with a bizarre header. AP
Dani Carvajal – 6. Got himself out of trouble after a mistake and went on to do a good job defensively, even if he did needlessly concede a corner with a bizarre header. AP
Eder Militao – 7. Put in a strong display after getting away with a poor pass, notably cutting out Salah’s pass in a dangerous position. AP
Eder Militao – 7. Put in a strong display after getting away with a poor pass, notably cutting out Salah’s pass in a dangerous position. AP
Antonio Rudiger – 7. Clumsy in the build-up to Liverpool’s early chance but was often in the right place after that. Had some promising moments going forward with a header to Vinicius before making a good run and pass to Nacho. AFP
Antonio Rudiger – 7. Clumsy in the build-up to Liverpool’s early chance but was often in the right place after that. Had some promising moments going forward with a header to Vinicius before making a good run and pass to Nacho. AFP
Nacho Fernandez – 7. Stretched by Salah at times but put in a determined display to ensure Los Blancos kept a clean sheet. Reuters
Nacho Fernandez – 7. Stretched by Salah at times but put in a determined display to ensure Los Blancos kept a clean sheet. Reuters
Luka Modric – 8. Smashed a rocket over the crossbar but was his usual elegant self, notably flicking the ball over Alexander-Arnold’s head and delivering a brilliant cross for Valverde. PA
Luka Modric – 8. Smashed a rocket over the crossbar but was his usual elegant self, notably flicking the ball over Alexander-Arnold’s head and delivering a brilliant cross for Valverde. PA
Eduardo Camavinga – 9. Brilliant to watch in the middle of the pitch with some lovely passing, including the ball that split Liverpool open for the goal. Unlucky to see his shot from range tipped onto the crossbar. Reuters
Eduardo Camavinga – 9. Brilliant to watch in the middle of the pitch with some lovely passing, including the ball that split Liverpool open for the goal. Unlucky to see his shot from range tipped onto the crossbar. Reuters
Toni Kroos – 7. Played a couple of poor passes when there were opportunities to play the forwards through but helped the hosts control large parts of the game. PA
Toni Kroos – 7. Played a couple of poor passes when there were opportunities to play the forwards through but helped the hosts control large parts of the game. PA
Federico Valverde – 5. Wasteful in promising positions, with some disappointing shots being denied, an underwhelming cross being blocked by Van Dijk and a header going over. Did show plenty of energy. PA
Federico Valverde – 5. Wasteful in promising positions, with some disappointing shots being denied, an underwhelming cross being blocked by Van Dijk and a header going over. Did show plenty of energy. PA
Karim Benzema – 7. Had some disappointing moments but eventually came good when he poked the ball home for the winner on the night. AFP
Karim Benzema – 7. Had some disappointing moments but eventually came good when he poked the ball home for the winner on the night. AFP
Vinicius Junior – 7. Played some great passes to get Benzema into promising positions, even if his ball for the goal wasn’t quite as eye catching. Brought out some lovely tricks. Getty
Vinicius Junior – 7. Played some great passes to get Benzema into promising positions, even if his ball for the goal wasn’t quite as eye catching. Brought out some lovely tricks. Getty
SUBS: Rodrygo (Benzema 82’) – N/R. Did well to get into the box but ultimately saw his shot blocked by Tsimikas. Reuters
SUBS: Rodrygo (Benzema 82’) – N/R. Did well to get into the box but ultimately saw his shot blocked by Tsimikas. Reuters
Dani Ceballos (Modric 82’) – N/R. Looked very confident and played the ball through for Lucas Vazquez to tee up Rodrygo for his chance. AP
Dani Ceballos (Modric 82’) – N/R. Looked very confident and played the ball through for Lucas Vazquez to tee up Rodrygo for his chance. AP
Marco Asensio (Vinicius 84’) – N/R. Came on late as Real Madrid comfortably saw out the game. Getty
Marco Asensio (Vinicius 84’) – N/R. Came on late as Real Madrid comfortably saw out the game. Getty
Aurelien Tchouameni (Kroos 84’) – N/R. Slotted into the midfield as Real maintained control for most of the latter stages. Getty
Aurelien Tchouameni (Kroos 84’) – N/R. Slotted into the midfield as Real maintained control for most of the latter stages. Getty
Lucas Vazquez (Carvajal 86’) – N/R. Did well to get into the box and tee up Rodrygo for his chance. Getty
Lucas Vazquez (Carvajal 86’) – N/R. Did well to get into the box and tee up Rodrygo for his chance. Getty
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker – 8. Made superb saves to deny Vinicius and Camavinga, before rushing out to authoritatively halt Valverde. There was nothing he could do about the goal. AFP
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker – 8. Made superb saves to deny Vinicius and Camavinga, before rushing out to authoritatively halt Valverde. There was nothing he could do about the goal. AFP
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6. Showed ambition with his passes, even if they didn’t always come off. Had a tough task defending against Vinicius, although he showed great defensive instincts to block Benzema’s shot. EPA
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6. Showed ambition with his passes, even if they didn’t always come off. Had a tough task defending against Vinicius, although he showed great defensive instincts to block Benzema’s shot. EPA
Ibrahima Konate – 7. Started well with a couple of good early interventions and continued to have strong moments throughout. Hit a wild shot on the turn. AP
Ibrahima Konate – 7. Started well with a couple of good early interventions and continued to have strong moments throughout. Hit a wild shot on the turn. AP
Virgil van Dijk – 6. Did brilliantly to cut out Valverde’s ball but it can be argued he wasn’t alert enough for the goal. PA
Virgil van Dijk – 6. Did brilliantly to cut out Valverde’s ball but it can be argued he wasn’t alert enough for the goal. PA
Andrew Robertson – 6. Could consider himself unlucky at times, having delivered some great crosses that nobody latched onto and lost control after cutting out Militao’s pass. Reuters
Andrew Robertson – 6. Could consider himself unlucky at times, having delivered some great crosses that nobody latched onto and lost control after cutting out Militao’s pass. Reuters
Fabinho – 5. Played some sloppy passes at times, as was epitomised when he delivered an overhit cross when there were plenty of red shirts in Real’s box. AP
Fabinho – 5. Played some sloppy passes at times, as was epitomised when he delivered an overhit cross when there were plenty of red shirts in Real’s box. AP
James Milner – 6. Showed plenty of energy and flew out to make blocks, as well as putting in a big tackle on Camavinga. However, he couldn’t do enough to get Liverpool going. EPA
James Milner – 6. Showed plenty of energy and flew out to make blocks, as well as putting in a big tackle on Camavinga. However, he couldn’t do enough to get Liverpool going. EPA
Cody Gakpo – 6. Put in a lot of good defensive work to help the team, including dispossessing Benzema in his own box, but couldn’t get a clean connection on his header and saw a strong shot saved. AP
Cody Gakpo – 6. Put in a lot of good defensive work to help the team, including dispossessing Benzema in his own box, but couldn’t get a clean connection on his header and saw a strong shot saved. AP
Mohamed Salah – 6. Slipped Nunez through for an early chance and made some good runs behind, but played a terrible pass to Nunez in a dangerous position. EPA
Mohamed Salah – 6. Slipped Nunez through for an early chance and made some good runs behind, but played a terrible pass to Nunez in a dangerous position. EPA
Diogo Jota – 3. His miskicked effort from a cross into the box was poor and he often looked off the pace. AFP
Diogo Jota – 3. His miskicked effort from a cross into the box was poor and he often looked off the pace. AFP
Darwin Nunez – 6. Showed a willingness to work but was unable to take his early chance and saw a header saved. AFP
Darwin Nunez – 6. Showed a willingness to work but was unable to take his early chance and saw a header saved. AFP
SUBS: Harvey Elliott (Jota 57’) – 6. Tried to make things happen and was central to a nice piece of link-up play but also saw a tame shot blocked. PA
SUBS: Harvey Elliott (Jota 57’) – 6. Tried to make things happen and was central to a nice piece of link-up play but also saw a tame shot blocked. PA
Roberto Firmino (Nunez 57’) – 5. Willing to work for the team but never truly looked like making a notable difference. Getty
Roberto Firmino (Nunez 57’) – 5. Willing to work for the team but never truly looked like making a notable difference. Getty
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (Milner 73’) – N/R. His expression after being unable to reach Robertson’s through ball epitomised Liverpool’s desperate situation. Getty
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (Milner 73’) – N/R. His expression after being unable to reach Robertson’s through ball epitomised Liverpool’s desperate situation. Getty
Kostas Tsimikas (Robertson 91’) – N/R. Had an eventful cameo, blocking Rodrygo’s shot and being the topic of a lengthy VAR check when the ball subsequently hit his arm, then getting booked for catching Ceballos in the face with his hand. Getty
Kostas Tsimikas (Robertson 91’) – N/R. Had an eventful cameo, blocking Rodrygo’s shot and being the topic of a lengthy VAR check when the ball subsequently hit his arm, then getting booked for catching Ceballos in the face with his hand. Getty
Fabio Carvalho (Gakpo 91’) – N/R. Had a less eventful cameo with the game gone. PA
Fabio Carvalho (Gakpo 91’) – N/R. Had a less eventful cameo with the game gone. PA

Klopp loaded his side with attacking talent, with Diogo Jota complementing Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez.

The gamble failed to pay off though, with Nunez, who had their best two chances in the first half, and Jota shortly after half time.

“For Diogo it was clear he shouldn’t play extremely long as he is still coming back from a long, long injury and you could see the game got harder for him,” Klopp said.

“He made some fouls as he was coming late, so no risk for him. Darwin looked like he was not at the absolute top level as well and we needed to defend that side as well. We could change and we wanted to mix things up a bit.”

Title-holders Real Madrid join AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester City and Napoli in Friday's Champions League quarter-final draw.

if you go

The flights 

Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning. 

The trains

Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.

The hotels

Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.

The biog

Name: James Mullan

Nationality: Irish

Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)

Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”

Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”

Cracks in the Wall

Ben White, Pluto Press 

England squad

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale 

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse

Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling

The%20new%20Turing%20Test
%3Cp%3EThe%20Coffee%20Test%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EA%20machine%20is%20required%20to%20enter%20an%20average%20American%20home%20and%20figure%20out%20how%20to%20make%20coffee%3A%20find%20the%20coffee%20machine%2C%20find%20the%20coffee%2C%20add%20water%2C%20find%20a%20mug%20and%20brew%20the%20coffee%20by%20pushing%20the%20proper%20buttons.%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EProposed%20by%20Steve%20Wozniak%2C%20Apple%20co-founder%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: March 16, 2023, 6:32 AM`
LiverpoolReal MadridChampions League