2019 UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool are out of the competition after losing their quarter-final tie against Real Madrid. Liverpool’s league rivals, Manchester City, are through to the semi-finals with a win over Borussia Dortmund.
Jurgen Klopp’s men needed to score at least two unanswered goals to progress to the next round, following a 3-1 first-leg defeat. Despite their best efforts, the Reds could not find a single goal on the night and ended up drawing the second leg 0-0. Klopp’s team were eliminated by a Madrid-based side for a second consecutive season after Atletico Madrid knocked them out of the tournament the previous campaign.
Liverpool knew they had to score goals in the second leg to have any chance of progressing. They very nearly grabbed one within the first two minutes, but Mohamed Salah’s close-range shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois. The Reds continued mounting pressure on their opponents but could not find a breakthrough. At the other end, Karim Benzema came close to putting Real Madrid out of Liverpool’s reach, but his shot hit the post.
The Reds dominated possession during this game and created more clear cut opportunities. However, they were missing their shooting boots and could not score past Courtois in goal. Real Madrid, meanwhile, booked their place in yet another European semi-final. Los Blancos did the job in the first leg itself and will now face Chelsea for a spot in the final. They are the record winners of the competition, having won the tournament thirteen times in their history.
In the second quarter-final tie of the night, Manchester City were up against Borussia Dortmund. City had the advantage ahead of the second leg, having won the first part of the tie 2-1. However, their position of power disappeared within the first fifteen minutes, after Jude Bellingham scored a stunning goal.
The Englishman was denied a clear goal in the previous leg when the referee blew up wrongly for a foul on Ederson. However, there was no stopping the teenager this time, as he picked up the ball inside the box, opened his body up, and scored past the diving Brazilian. Ederson did get some contact on the ball, but not enough to stop it from going in.
Dortmund took the lead with them into the break. Had things stood that way until full-time, the German side would have progressed to the next round based on the away goals rule. However, they conceded a penalty early in the second half, allowing Manchester City a chance to take back the advantage in the tie. Emre Can accidentally head the ball onto his arm, and the referee immediately pointed towards the spot. Riyad Mahrez stepped up and scored from the spot to swing the tie in his team’s favour.
Phil Foden was the hero for Manchester City in the previous leg, as the youngster popped up in the last minute of normal time to score the winning goal. He was the matchwinner again in the second leg, as his strike from range hit the underside of the crossbar and went in goal. Dortmund custodian Marwin Hitz was unable to keep the powerful shot out despite his best efforts.
UCL semi-finals schedule
| April 27 | Real Madrid vs Chelsea |
| April 28 | PSG vs Manchester City |
| May 4 | Manchester City vs PSG |
| May 5 | Chelsea vs Real Madrid |
