MADRID – Real Madrid found a tab. The champions weigh and praise MBappé and Neymar. But Zinedine Zidane He explored and invented his own duo. He found another unexpected couple: Nacho and Militao, heroes of a new night of European success, this time at Anfield, which places Real Madrid in the semifinals of the tournament and allows them to dream of the fourteenth title.
Madrid signed a serious game. With a huge physical display of Nacho and Militao, attentive to the crossing, shepherding and minimizing the entire arsenal of Mané, Salah and Firmino. All that defensive festival, crowned by Courtois’ security, remarkable throughout the tie.
Maximum concentration. Ambition and personality were arguments for a solid Madrid, which had the help of Casemiro, huge again in the eleventh moment of truth for his team.
Seeing Anfield empty is also impressive. To paraphrase Francisco Umbral, it would be like dancing without music. It was a shame to see The Kop tribunes without an audience, without those people who have football as an argument to be a little happier in life.
Jurgen Klopp tried to blow up his right flank. And take oil for a while. There Zidane placed Valverde and Mané was activated immediately. Liverpool’s initial siege lasted ten minutes, which was greeted by a huge Courtois. Courtois lowered the morale of Salah and Milner with two prodigious actions. And Valverde regained his place until he met solvency in an abnormal space for him.
All eyes were on Vinicius. Their stunning first-leg match impressed Klopp. He was not surprised, which is different, but he was impressed – he reiterated this week – finally showing his talent in a match of European origin. Today Vinicius was neither surprised nor impressed. He signed a discreet night.
Real Madrid left a champion smell at Anfield. Above all, to show clearly that without Sergio Ramos and Varane, Madrid has life. A quality of life to drink. And plausible to bring down Chelsea in the semi-finals, which does everything it can in the Premier League, twenty points behind the leader, Manchester City.