After a week of clear victory in the first leg, Liverpool squandered a two-goal lead, but it was within the basics against Benfica on Wednesday night (3-3). The Reds will face Villarreal in the semi-finals.
Match: 3-3
/
It’s hard to break the impression of constancy and serenity that such a group exudes. Benfica again experienced the painful experience on Wednesday evening at Anfield, in front of a repeat Liverpool team. Ambitious as in the first leg, The Portuguese came out of the competition with their heads held high after they played their luck with courage and recovered from a two-goal deficit. But they never panicked from the Reds who already took refuge (3-3). The 2019 European champion returned in the round of four.
12
/
Liverpool reached the last four in the UEFA Champions League / UEFA Champions League for the 12th time in its history. No other English team does better (tied with Manchester United). (choose, decide)
The end of the match will leave regret at Benfica and a bitter taste for sure at Jurgen Klopp. Thanks to the convenient installation of game control, the English paid for their firing with two serious misalignments at 40 meters from their target. Riding into the back of the Reds’ defense, Roman Yarmashuk and then Darwin Nunez managed to straighten Alisson to Bring the Eagles back to the top (72 and 82). The pressure could have gone up a bit, but Nunez faltered in the Reds goalkeeper (83) and an offside was reported at the end of the match (90+5).
Before this chaotic final quarter of an hour, Liverpool were able to manage and even take advantage of the advantage gained in Lisbon. The opening match came from a copy-and-paste goal from Ibrahima Konate from a corner kick from Konstantinos Tsimikas (21). Benfica may have been leveled quickly by Ramos (32), and the more dangerous Reds remained like these saves from Odyssey (26), Jan Vertonghen (30) and Alejandro Grimaldo (38). The second goal came after the end of the first half, when Roberto Firmino calmly punished the failed ball for Vertonghen (55). With a free kick from Tsimikas, the Brazilian folded the case by signing a double (65).
Read also
/
Player: Firmino was full of confidence
/
In a chaotic solo season, marked by injuries and a state of questioning, Firmino has shown his coach can count on him for the big deadlines awaiting the Reds. The Brazilian starred for only the second time this season in the Champions League. If Vertonghen scored and assisted Grimaldo in the first half, he put Liverpool in control with a Fox goal after the break. Precious to save and to find Diaz or Jota, he came out of his chest to stamp the score in the playing hour.
Fact: Klopp is sure of his group
/
After 24 hours of astonishing scenarios for the first two quarter-finals, Jurgen Klopp could have been tempted to maintain his type 11 to avoid cold sweats despite the advantage gained in Lisbon. But after coming off a tiring match against Manchester City (2-2, last Sunday), the German preferred to make seven changes from the first leg. Without Salah, Mane, Van Dijk, Fabinho, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson or Thiago at first.His group brought him back that confidence, despite costly defensive errors at the end of the match. But the Reds’ substitutes did the job earlier and proved that this team has depth that could be crucial in moving forward in C1.
