Champions League: Mbappe misses penalty: Real Madrid loses to Liverpool

Traveling to Liverpool's Anfield, Real Madrid are in poor form, having lost two of their last three Champions League matches. The "White Vultures" are only ranked 21st and seven points behind Liverpool in the lead. Not only that, Ancelotti's team does not have the strongest squad. Key players such as Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba are all out for the long term. Most recently, Vinicius was also injured and has not yet been scheduled to return.

Therefore, Real Madrid had to field a team with many players playing out of position. Valverde - a player with a strong point as a central midfielder was pulled back to play as a right-back. Three young players, Arda Guler, Raúl Asencio and Brahim Diaz, all appeared from the start. Before the match, Marca newspaper assessed that this was a "risky bet" for Real Madrid when they had to face Liverpool, who were in extremely good form.

Brahim Diaz (white shirt) was given a chance by coach Ancelotti in the match against Liverpool

With a patchwork lineup, Real Madrid had to retreat deep to defend in the first half. The Spanish representative only had more than 30% possession, had 4 shots, all of which were off target. Brahim Diaz, in a rare occasion when he was trusted to move wide, constantly pressing Liverpool's defense. However, the Moroccan player often handled the ball hastily, causing Real Madrid's chances to pass.

Meanwhile, Arda Güler, despite his best efforts, only had two inaccurate shots. Mbappe - the most anticipated player on Real Madrid's attack line - also played poorly, without any dangerous opportunities.

Real Madrid's attack (in white) was deadlocked in the first half.

On the other side of the front line, Liverpool played overwhelmingly, pushing up their attacking formation right after the opening whistle. Coach Arne Slot's students played confidently, had no less than 5 clear chances to score but had to end the match with a 0-0 draw.

Striker Darwin Núñez was positioned to play the highest and had 3 dangerous opportunities. In the 24th minute, Darwin Núñez took advantage of a chaotic situation in the penalty area to shoot from close range. Unfortunately, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois came out in time to block Darwin Núñez's shot. In the 32nd minute, Darwin Núñez once again escaped intelligently, received a pass from Mac Allister and headed the ball just wide of the post. Before that, in the 4th minute, the Uruguayan striker had a diagonal shot, defeating goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, but fortunately for Real Madrid, Raúl Asencio was there at the right time, clearing the ball right on the goal line.

Darwin Núñez (red shirt, number 26) made Real Madrid's goal shake in the first half

The scenario in the second half did not change much as Liverpool was still the team that took the initiative to attack. However, compared to the first half, Liverpool finished better and scored 2 goals. Even if Salah had not missed the penalty, Liverpool could have created a bigger gap against Real Madrid.

In the 52nd minute, Mac Allister opened the scoring for “The Kop” after a beautiful one-two with Conor Bradley. Notably, Real Madrid’s young centre-back Raúl Asencio made a serious mistake in this situation when he hesitated and was not decisive enough to stop Mac Allister. In the 76th minute, Cody Gakpo headed the ball strongly, doubling the gap for the home team.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid continued to play lackluster football in the second half. The visitors only had 3 more shots, all of which were saved by goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. In the 61st minute, Real Madrid was awarded a penalty, but Kylian Mbappe still could not beat Liverpool's goalkeeper.

Mac Allister (No. 10) and Cody Gakpo (No. 18) scored 2 goals for Liverpool

In the end, Real Madrid lost 0-2 to Liverpool. This was the third consecutive loss for the "White Vultures" in the 2024 - 2025 Champions League. Real Madrid currently has only 6 points, falling to 24th place. On the opposite side, Liverpool won all 5 matches, firmly in the top position.

Results of some other matches: AS Monaco 2-3 Benfica, Bologna 1-2 Lille, Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb, Aston Villa 0-0 Juventus.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/champions-league-mbappe-da-hong-phat-den-real-madrid-thua-liverpool-185241128031624496.htm