With goals from Konaté, Mané and Luis Díaz, Liverpool headed to the semifinals of the Champions League on Tuesday with a 1-3 win against Benfica, in a match dominated by the “reds” but in which a goal from Darwin Núñez after the break he came to fuel the hope of the Portuguese.
The English put the Portuguese team on the ropes during the first half, with a comfortable two-goal lead against a team that offered almost no resistance.
Although Benfica surprised after the break and got back into the game with a goal from Darwin Núñez, the “eagles” were not able to resist Liverpool’s superiority until the end, which they sentenced in the 87th minute with a goal from Luis Díaz .
Jurgen Klopp’s team came out wanting to leave the tie resolved in order to focus on this weekend’s game against Manchester City, in which the Premier League is played.
Salah scared in the first few minutes when he narrowly failed to control a deep pass from Luis Díaz that left him alone in front of Vlachodimos and was cut by the Argentine Otamendi.
It was a warning of what would be the first part, an English monologue against a Benfica who hoped to withstand the rival attacks and be able to take advantage of some counterattack, but had no luck.
The owner of the match was Liverpool, who forced Vlachodimos out on more than one occasion to save his team, inaccurate and unable to hold the ball for more than a few passes in a row.
With so much looking for them, the English goals were not lacking and they went 0-2 at halftime.
In the 17th minute, Konaté rose from a corner kick and headed into the nets for his first goal this season.
The second came from a long pass from Alexander-Arnold in the 34th minute. Luis Díaz, who has experience against Benfica because until a few months ago he played for Porto, headed the ball to Mané, who only had to push it.
The panorama predicted a placid second half for Liverpool, but Benfica had other plans and made it clear as soon as the game resumed.
The clock was ticking at minute 49 when the locals surprised their rival with a goal that put them back in the match, taking advantage of a mistake by Konaté.
A pass from Rafa slipped between the Frenchman’s legs and Darwin Núñez, Benfica’s most lethal weapon this season, did not miss in front of goal. The 22-year-old Uruguayan already has 28 goals in all competitions this season.
The goal was what Benfica needed to cheer up, against a Liverpool that was no longer so comfortable on the pitch.
The incarnated left several warnings to their rival and even effusively demanded a penalty when Darwin fell in the area, but the referee did not whistle anything.
Dissatisfied with what he saw on the field, Jurgen Klopp wanted to refresh his ranks, especially the attack, and brought in Diogo Jota, Firmino and Henderson, in search of a goal that would give the “reds” peace of mind.
The goal came, but it was long in coming. Keita put in a deep pass in the 87th minute to Luis Díaz, who dribbled past Vlachodimos and sealed the match.
Liverpool leaves Lisbon with half a ticket to the semifinals in their portfolio and the easy way to finish off the pass in the second leg, which will be played on English soil on Wednesday the 13th.
