Champions League hits and misses: No miracle for Liverpool but Kevin De Bruyne answers critics with sparkling performance | Football News

No wonder Liverpool are underperforming

Maybe, just maybe, if Darwin Nunez’s early shot from Mohamed Salah’s pass had been a little too close to one of the corners. At that time there were still 83 minutes to play. Plenty of time for miracles. But in the end Jurgen Klopp was not in an ‘if only’ mood.

“This is hypothetical,” he said bt sports matters. “We prepared for a special performance, but we could not put it on the field tonight. It is obvious that the best passed.”

Karim Benzema’s late goal sealed it, but it wasn’t the first time Real Madrid had carved Liverpool open. In fact, he scored almost twice as many tries as he did in the match at Anfield, also producing the desired goals.

Liverpool were indebted to Alisson for keeping the scores level before Benzema’s opener, the Brazilian making some fine saves as Carlo Ancelotti’s side, once again, exposed the defensive vulnerability that has been a feature of their performances.

Of course, the tie was pretty good after the first leg capitulation. Liverpool have a special ability on the European stage, but the loss to Bournemouth dented the optimism created by their 7-0 win over Manchester United.

There were flashes of promise in the first half, with Courtois forced into action on several occasions, but Liverpool’s lackluster second half, despite having four forwards on the pitch, felt more reflective of their performance as a whole.

In those moments, while Madrid showed the combination of composure and quality that have made them such a force in this competition, Liverpool were dull, making just one shot between the intervals and a bitter end. What remains now is the battle for the top four.
Nick Wright

Who can stop Real owners?

Real Madrid are the team to beat in the Champions League, if that wasn’t already clear.

Defeat specialist beat Liverpool. A 5-2 lead should not have been a concern and Real made sure it wasn’t. The owner has an answer for everything.

The visitors tried to attack him, but still fired blanks. However, Real could have won by a bigger margin if Karim Benzema had brought his shooting boots. They still found the net without him.

Alisson points to Anfield nightmare as blip, saves Liverpool. In the end, the damage was done in a stunning second half during the first leg.

Who can stop him now? Napoli could be asking a different question if the draw is like that, but there is still little experience of Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema that they haven’t found.

Bayern Munich and Man City will also provide tough tests but Real have beaten them before and can do it again. You will definitely not back down.
David Richardson

De Bruyne ‘keeps it simple’ to shine

The night belonged to Erling Haaland but Kevin De Bruyne was the star.

Pep Guardiola has urged the midfielder to “keep it simple” to rediscover his form. “When the simple things are done perfectly and we are at the right moment, the action to make the extraordinary pass that can be found – only him – will be easier, will be better,” said the City boss.

But little about his performance seemed simple. It exploded. De Bruyne was everywhere, constantly roaming to get the ball. He burst into midfield with a thunderbolt that hit the crossbar and was perfect for Haaland to slot in.

Only City defender has more than De Bruyne’s 75 touches. Bernardo Silva has 19 fewer despite playing the same number of minutes. He delivered 14 crosses as Leipzig crumbled under constant pressure.

“Kevin is a player for dynamism. If he does not have dynamism or movement, he is not a player who receives the ball in the pocket and can stop,” said Guardiola after the defeat. “He’s an outside guy, inside guy, attack here, attack there. Make transitions, press high.

“When that happens, assists are free, goals are free.”

Of course De Bruyne curled in a delicious seventh in the final minute to cap off his statement performance, just as the doubters have turned around after starting on the bench for three of City’s last seven Premier League games.

This is De Bruyne “keeping it simple”.
David Richardson

When is the draw?

The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be held at 11:00 WIB on Friday, March 17 in Nyon, Switzerland at the UEFA headquarters.

The eight last 16 winners take part in an open quarter-final and semi-final draw.

There is no seeding and no country protection, so clubs can face opposition from the same country. They can also draw teams that have previously played in the group stage.

A final draw will also be held to determine the ‘home’ side for administrative reasons for the showpiece event in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.

You can follow the signature with Sky Sports’ live blog, so you can keep everything right here.