The Dominance, Determination And Rescue Of Penalties Are The Key To Liverpool's Victory Over Madrid
JAKARTA - Liverpool defeated Real Madrid 2-0 in a dramatic battle on the fifth matchday of the 2024/2025 Champions League at Anfield, Thursday, November 28, 2024.
Two goals from the Reds were contributed by Alexis Mac Allister (52') and Cody Gakpo (76').
Liverpool's victory deserves because they dominated all the time, have a determination, and a penalty save that made the match tense.
In total, Arne Slot's men packed 62.5 percent possession, releasing 17 shots and seven shots on target.
"When playing against a team like Real Madrid, scoring goals is always fun. However, the most important thing is that we win."
"In my opinion, we won in a very good way. We dominated the game, we deserved to win," said Mac Allister.
Rescue of Caoimhin's penalty, his neck must also be credited. Blocking the ball Kylian Mbappe's kick made Liverpool's spirit shine even more in a 1-0 lead.
The situation in the 61st minute made Mbappe specifically and Real Madrid all begin to lose confidence.
In fact, the two goalkeepers played very well in that match. His neck also blocked several opportunities for Los Blancos.
Likewise Thibaut Courtois. If the Belgian goalkeeper had not thwarted a number of chances, Real Madrid might have conceded more.
Another important part, Courtois was also covered with luck when Mohamed Salah's penalty kick, which should have increased the hosts' advantage in the 70th minute, even widened.
However, Courtois ended up missing out through Gakpo's header in the corner kick scheme.
"It's a big result, it's a very important game for us. Obviously, they beat us the last few times in the Champions League."
"So, we want to perform here tonight and play well. I don't really pay attention to the player (Mbappe). I am confident and fortunately I am returning to the right direction," said Kelekera.
The result continued the brilliant start of coach Arne Slot with Liverpool. They currently hold a record 100 percent win in the Champions League from five matches they have played.
The maximum score of 15 points makes the Reds at the top of the Champions League standings and have locked tickets to the knockout stages even though there are still three remaining matches.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have not beaten Real Madrid since 2009. They have failed to win a single win from eight meetings before, including two painful defeats in the Champions League final.
That is, the victory saw Slot surpass expectations in the transition from his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp.
The Dutch manager brought more calm and control to Liverpool's game while maintaining tireless high pressure and a bold attacking style.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also agreed that Liverpool deserved to win.
"I think to be honest, it was a fair result. Liverpool deserved to win. They have very good dynamics right now," Ancelotti said after the game.
The top eight teams qualified automatically for the round of 16, while the next 16 teams entered the two-legged playoffs to join in the knockout stages.
The negligence of Liverpool makes Real Madrid's position in the standings very difficult. Currently, they are ranked 24th or the bottom track of the playoffs with six points from five matches.
Los Blancos had to fight hard after suffering three defeats during this Champions League.