Real Madrid travelled to Merseyside this evening to take on Liverpool at Anfield in the quarter final second leg of the Champions League, drawing 0-0 to secure their place in the semi-final against Chelsea. Los blancos went into the game with a 3-1 lead from the first leg back in Spain last week, but were wary of the danger posed by that away goal.
Zinedine Zidane‘s men saw their bus attacked before the game, struck by a missile that broke one of the windows. The action on the pitch was furious, with Thibaut Courtois drawn into two saves from Mo Salah and James Milner in the first 15 minutes. Karim Benzema had Madrid’s best chance early doors, striking the post in the 20th minute.
Casemiro epitomised the hard-edged start to the game soon after, clattering into Milner almost immediately after being fouled and starting a minor fracas pitch-side, while Salah and Gini Wijnaldum came close before half-time.
Upon the restart, it was Roberto Firmino who tested Courtois, only to be denied by the big Belgian, while at the other end Vinicius Junior had an opening only for the chance to be smothered by his compatriot Alisson. Benzema then had another excellent chance, but couldn’t control his free header, but it was of no importance come the final whistle. Madrid had done enough.
Esto fue hoy a la tarde. No quería poner nada hasta que terminase el partido y seguro después me retes por publicarla, pero debo hacerlo igual porque es tu esfuerzo y nadie te regalo nada. Día y día pinchándote para estar firme y hoy cumpliste más que nunca
Sos nuestro orgullo pic.twitter.com/PnZjOpx3jJ— Mina Bonino (@Minabonino) April 14, 2021
After the game, Fede Valverde’s partner Mina Bonino posted a picture of an injury the Uruguayan was carrying during the game, underlining how the combative midfielder played through the pain barrier to get the result.
“This was this afternoon,” she wrote. “I didn’t want to post anything until the game was over and I’m sure you’re not going to be happy with me for publishing it, but I must do it all the same because it’s your effort and nobody gifted you anything. Day by day to work harder, and today you’ve achieved more than ever. You’re our pride.”
