Three-Star Liverpool Beat Benfica In Lisbon To Put One Foot In UCL Semis

6th April 2022 - by Louis Kalinga

Benfica are dotted between a Liverpool-City league and cup double-header, with the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley coming after the second leg next week

Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool FC (R ) celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One football match between SL Benfica and Liverpool FC at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal on April 5, 2022. PHOTO | AFP
SUMMARY
  • Red-hot Liverpool continued to show how hungry they are for trophies as they cruised to a 3-1 win away to Benfica in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg
  • Jurgen Klopp's side took charge of the tie on Tuesday as Sadio Mane, Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz gave them the cushion they need ahead of the rematch in a week


Red-hot Liverpool continued to show how hungry they are for trophies as they cruised to a 3-1 win away to Benfica in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg.

Jurgen Klopp's side took charge of the tie on Tuesday as Sadio Mane, Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz gave them the cushion they need ahead of the rematch in a week.

Konate nodded in his first Liverpool goal from a corner before Mane tapped home to put Liverpool in charge at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.

The hosts made a game of it early in the second half when a Konate error allowed the lively Darwin Nunez to pull one back.

New signing Luis Diaz, who was superb all night, added a late third to put Liverpool in sight of the semis on the road to a 7th European crowm.

Liverpool are confident of finishing the job at Anfield next week, with boss Klopp comfortable enough to take off Mohamed Salah, Mane and Thiago Alcantara after an hour.

Salah, in particular, was surely being preserved for Sunday, when Liverpool face Manchester City in what could prove to be the decisive match in the Premier League’s neck-and-neck title race.

Benfica are dotted between a Liverpool-City league and cup double-header, with the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley coming after the second leg next week.

This will be followed by a crunch period with league games against Manchester United and local rivals Everton as Klopp continues to downplay suggestions Liverpool could yet win an historic quadruple this term.

But this contest demonstrated the gulf between the Premier League’s heavyweights and some of the old, European elite. Despite a 20-minute surge in the second half, Benfica were clearly second best.