April 05, (THEWILL) – Liverpool defeated Benfica in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg in Lisbon thanks to goals from Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane, and Luis Diaz.
In the first half, Konate and Mane had given the Reds a 2-0 lead until Darwin Nunez took advantage of a defensive blunder to score in the 49th minute. Diaz then put the game out of reach with a third-minute goal in the 88th minute.
Liverpool got off to a strong start, with Diaz causing difficulties for Benfica immediately away. Within the first three minutes, the former Porto player generated the game’s first chance, beating his man out left and looping a cross into the box. Naby Keita broke from midfield to control it, he was unable to keep his header down.
Five minutes later, the Reds were on the verge of scoring the opener. Salah found himself through on goal on the right-hand side of the penalty area after some beautiful interplay between Mane and Mohamed Salah, which included a sneaky backheel from the former. But, Alex Grimaldo was on hand to get a toe on Salah’s goal attempt, turning the ball away for a corner kick.
In the 11th minute, Salah turned provider for Keita, whose effort from the edge of the box was palmed clear by Odysseas Vlachodimos with some clumsiness. It was not beautiful, but the goalkeeper held up his end of the bargain to keep his goal unbreached.
However, Liverpool finally found the first goal thanks to Konate’s efforts. The centre-back towered over his defender to head home Andy Robertson’s wonderful out-swinging corner kick, giving the Reds a much-deserved lead.
Up until the half-hour mark, Liverpool continued to dominate, with Nicolas Otamendi squandering a golden opportunity to draw Benfica level. The Argentine slipped away from Mane’s tagging to earn a free header on the edge of the box. The header, on the other hand, was horribly misjudged and sailed wide of the right post.
Benfica were punished for their error moments later, as the Reds extended their lead. With a sweeping pass from the left flank, Trent Alexander-Arnold expertly found Diaz, who then headed down into the path of Mane. The Senegalese made no mistake from 10-yards out to score the Reds’ second goal of the game.
Salah saw a shot from the left of the penalty area superbly saved by Vlachodimos on the stroke of half-time. But for that save, the Reds could have been three up going into the break.
Benfica resurrected the tie right at the start of the second half, with Nunez capitalising on an appalling play by Konate. The centre-back failed to clear a Rafa Silva cross and Nunez seized the chance to break in and side-foot the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
After conceding, Liverpool became jittery, awkwardly squandering possession, making stupid challenges, and enabling Benfica to gain control of the game.
Klopp’s timely substitutions stifled the attacks on the Reds’ post, with Jordan Henderson in particular providing a much-needed calm presence in the centre of the pitch.
In the 85th minute, Diaz rounded Vlachodimos and side-footed the ball into an empty net, putting the victory beyond doubt for the Reds.
Liverpool may not have been at their best in Lisbon, and Benfica may be upset that a penalty for Van Dijk’s challenge at 2-1 was not granted, but Klopp’s side have given themselves a good chance of sealing a semi-final position in eight days.
Meanwhile, the Reds will be in high spirits heading into Sunday’s crucial Premier League match against Manchester City after another European victory.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
