The message was loud and clear. Real Madrid had never beaten Liverpool in an official match, nor netted a goal against the Reds. But the Spanish side changed all that on Wednesday night. In emphatic fashion.
Three days ahead of the Clasico against Barcelona, Madrid produced perhaps their finest football since thrashing Bayern Munich 4-0 at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League semi-finals last season.Cristiano Ronaldo, just two short of the Champions League goals record prior to kick-off, was under the spotlight here, having scored only two in nine games against Liverpool in the past and never at Anfield.
But if the lights were on him, the Portuguese shone brighter and he gave Madrid the lead with a stunning strike which included a wonderful one-two with James Rodriguez, whose assist was as good as the goal itself.
That was Ronaldo's 70th in the Champions League and he moved one ahead of Barca's Lionel Messi, who reached 69 with his strike against Ajax on Tuesday.
Karim Benzema added two more to leave Liverpool 3-0 down to an Ancelotti side at the interval just like they were in Istanbul in the 2005 final. But even though Coutinho rattled the woodwork with a long-range effort, there was no hint of a comeback this time.
Madrid, meanwhile, were proving a point. Although they had hit 32 goals in their last seven games (all wins), there were still question marks over how Ancelotti's men would fare against the top teams, having lost twice to Atletico already this term.
But the switch to 4-4-2 has brought balance and Madrid finally look to have found the formula again following the summer sales of Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso.
So while Bayern's brilliant 7-1 win at Roma on Tuesday means they probably look like the strongest side in the competition at this stage, Madrid's dismantling of Liverpool showed the Blancos are also in good shape to defend their title in May - and that they are ready for the Clasico on Saturday too.
No comments:
Post a Comment