Trailing 3-1 from the first leg of the quarter-final in Madrid, the Reds missed several presentable opportunities in the first half as Mohamed Salah fired straight at Thibaut Courtous, James Milner brought a smart stop from the Belgian goalkeeper from distance and Gini Wijnaldum drove over when well-placed.
Roberto Firmino and substitute Diogo Jota also came close in the second half, but a resilient Real defence impressed in front of former Chelsea goalkeeper Courtois as they were kept at bay.
Karim Benzema saw a first half effort deflected against the post for the visitors, but attacking wasn’t often on their agenda as they protected their lead impressively.
A 0-0 draw at Anfield in the quarterfinals on Wednesday protected a 3-1 advantage from the first leg for Madrid. The record 13-time European champions are back in the semifinals, where Chelsea awaits, for the first time since 2018 when Zidane lifted the European Cup for a third consecutive season by beating Klopp’s Liverpool in the final.
The victory in the 2018 final was Zidane’s last game before ending his first stint in charge. He was tempted back in 2019 following disappointing results, but this season looked to be unraveling just a few months ago. For Liverpool, it’s turning into a miserable season, which is now sure to end without a trophy.
Now Liverpool is struggling to even make the Champions League places, sitting three points outside the top four with seven games to go.
Liverpool created chance after chance but Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane could find no way past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and a makeshift defense that stifled a front three that has endured a season of frustration.
