Real Madrid continued its love affair with the Champions League after another dominant win over Liverpool in the rematch of last year’s final while Napoli continued to impress with a win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Real Madrid vs Liverpool:
Liverpool’s recent progress in the Premier League counted for nothing as Vincius Jr (2), Eder Militao and Karim Benzema (2) ran riot at Anfield to secure a record 5-2 win for the visitors.
The final scoreline belies the start as the hosts actually took a 2-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.
Nunez expertly beat the offside trap from a Salah assist to open the scoring in the 4th minute before Salah doubled his side’s lead when Thibaut Courtois failed to clear the ball and the Egyptian smashed the ball past him.
Real soon reminded them of their quality as Vinicus halved the deficit in the 21st minute when he danced through Liverpool’s defence before curling a shot in the far corner past Allison.
The Brazilian then got his side level in the 36th minute when Allison’s pass inadvertently bounced off him and into the back of the net.
The momentum shift continued in the second half as Militao powered in a header two minutes after the break before Benzema scored in the 55th and 67th minute to complete the scoresheet.
It was the first time Liverpool have conceded five goals at home in the Champions League.
They still have a chance of progressing when these two sides meet again in Spain on March 16th.
Napoli vs Frankfurt:
Napoli’s 2-0 win over Frankfurt was lost in the majesty of Liverpool vs Madrid but the Naples side showcased their intent with another impressive display away from home.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s penalty miss in the first half encapsulated their slow start but they soon found their footing.
Victor Osimhen bailed her partner out with a goal in the 40th minute before Kvaratskhelia redeemed himself in the second half with an assist for Giovanni Di Lorenzo in the 60th minute.
The Serie A leader’s win happens to be their first away in the knockout stages of the competition.
They will look to complete the job in the reverse fixture at home on March 16th as well.
