The Real Madrid faced before him Liverpool the first of the three finals that he has in 10 days and in which the season is played. The whites won that first final 3-1. A result that helps him get closer to the semifinals of the Champions League. He will have to endorse it next week, on the 14th, at Anfield, but before that appointment he has this Saturday the Classic, a league final.
For now, Real Madrid gave first and did it above all thanks to a great first half. Zidane, without Varane, with coronavirus, nor Bouquets forgot to play with a defense of three and recovered his traditional 4-3-3 with Vinicius above. Klopp He also moved his blackboard and put Keita leaving Thiago on the bench. A tactical duel that clearly won Zidane in the first half in which Real Madrid passed over a Liverpool that can already have the best strikers in the world at the top, but if no balls reach them, it is as if they did not exist. And that is what happened in a perfect first act of a Real Madrid that showed all the shame of Liverpool that in Di Stéfano were many. Without a center of the field and without defense, Madrid was the master of that first half. Vinicius did what he wanted with Alexander-Arnold and Kroos he moved the whites as he wanted and without opposition.
After a few minutes of scoring, the game was Real Madrid who did what they wanted. He only needed to score, the great pending issue of the white team. And he approved it with two goals in that first half. The first of Vinicius in the 27th minute by masterfully controlling and marvelous long pass from Kroos who pointed out where he was going to put the ball to the Brazilian. Vinicius He did not waste it and scored 1-0. Madrid put their dominance on the scoreboard.
Zidane's men went for more with a possible penalty to Benzema that the referee did not indicate because he did not see that it was. That 2-0 came in the 36th minute through the mediation of Marco Asensio taking advantage of an error of Alexander-Arnold that in his attempt to clear he passed the ball to the Balearic who with a great technical action scored the 2-0. He was able to repeat six minutes later, but this time, the shot from Marco Asensio went out.
And Liverpool? There he was, in the field but to do little or nothing. Klopp, with monumental anger, he removed Keita to enter Thiago in minute 42. But not even for those the English team reacted. In fact, he went into the break losing 2-0 and without having shot on goal.
Salah brand and Vinicius double
Liverpool improved in the second half because it could not be otherwise after their disastrous first half. The English team, with a defense of three, squeezed Madrid and Salah put the 2-1 in minute 51. Klopp they returned to get into the game against a Madrid that had lost control of the duel that had nothing to do with the one that was seen in the first half.
The white team tried to appease the British anxiety by having the ball, but it did not work at all because Liverpool took advantage of any white error to go shooting for Courtois. In that tactical battle he scored again Vinicius that put the 3-1 in the 65th minute in a play that was born from a throw-in and that was really badly defended by a Liverpool that saw how they had to cut back the deficit of two goals that had returned to the scoreboard.
Zidane chose then to reinforce the spinal cord with Valverde that I enter through Marco Asensio and look for more goals with the couple Vinicius-Benzema. Defending was something that Liverpool knew existed, but what really mattered to them was finding their way to the goal again. Or what is the same, each against Madrid became almost an occasion of a white goal.
Klopp put his last offensive tricks into play by putting Firmino and Shaqiri. Zidane, for his part, removed an exhausted Vinicius and gave entrance to Rodrygo to refresh the white attack. The game ended with Liverpool squeezing Real Madrid who was not able to leave their field. The attempts of the English team were not rewarded and those of Zidane achieved a victory that brings him closer to the semifinals of the Champions League.
Real Madrid, 3
Courtois, Lucas Vázquez, Militao, Nacho, Mendy, Modric, Casemiro, kroos, Marco Asensio (Valverde, m.70), Benzema, Vinicius (Rodrygo, m. 84)
Liverpool, 1
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Ozan Kabak (Shaqiri, m.81), N. Phillips, Robertson, Keita (Thiago, m. 42), Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Salah, Diogo Jota (Firmino, m. 81), Mané
Goals: 1-0, Vinicius (m. 27); 2-0, Marco Asensio (m. 36); 2-1, Salah (m. 51); 3-1, Vinicius (d. 65)
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany). Yellow to Mané (m. 39), Lucas Vázquez (m. 49), Thiago (m. 56), Alexander-Arnold (m. 83)
Stadium: Alfredo De Stéfano. No public due to coronavirus