Real Madrid roar back to thrash sorry Liverpool
Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema scored twice as Real Madrid produced another stunning Champions League fightback from 2-0 down to thrash Liverpool 5-2 in the first leg of their last 16 tie at Anfield on Tuesday. Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had given the hosts a perfect start in a repeat of last season's Champions League final. But Vinicius struck twice to level by half-time and, after Eder Militao had given Carlo Ancelotti's men the lead, Benzema's double put the holders well on the way to the quarter-finals. Madrid's 1-0 victory when the sides met in Paris last May was overshadowed by chaotic scenes outside the Stade de France that put the lives of supporters at risk. An independent report into the organisational failings published last week found Uefa to bear "primary responsibility" for failures which "almost led to disaster". In their first meeting since that occasion, the players produced the kind of spectacle expected of a clash between two clubs with a combined 20 European Cups. Jurgen Klopp's men currently sit eighth in the Premier League but briefly turned back the clock to explode out of the blocks. Nunez produced a magical finish to flick home Salah's pass inside four minutes. A loose touch from Thibaut Courtois in the Madrid goal then handed Salah Liverpool's second on a plate as the Egyptian became the Reds' all-time top goalscorer in European competition with 42. But the defending champions again showed remarkable powers of recovery to turn the tie around in little over 30 minutes of play. Vinicius flashed a shot into the far corner to get the comeback started on 21 minutes.  Next, Madrid were gifted an equaliser when Alisson Becker's attempted clearance bounced off Vinicius and into an unguarded net. At the start of the second period, Militao was afforded a free header to turn in Luka Modric's free-kick, and fortune was on the side of the Spanish giants for their fourth goal as Benzema's shot deflected off Joe Gomez to leave Alisson stranded. There was nothing lucky about the visitors' fifth as a clinical team move cut Liverpool to pieces. Modric burst through midfield and fed Vinicius, who teed up Benzema to coolly round Alisson and slot into the top corner. The sides meet again on March 15, but the second leg now appears little more than a formality on a night Madrid showed why they remain the kings of Europe. (AFP)