Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League quarterfinals thanks to Karim Benzema’s second-half goal.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side won the round of 16 by a 6-2 aggregate score at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Liverpool needed to win by three goals to tie the game and force extra time but it was arguably far-fetched.
Reacting to the loss, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said his team was outplayed the entire match.
He added that Los Blancos deserved to win.
“It was, in moments, a good performance, but Real Madrid was, for the whole game, the team in control of the game,” Klopp said in a post-match interview. “They had the better chances; Ali [Alisson Becker] had to make two sensational saves to keep us in the game, and that’s the reason [we didn’t concede more goals].”
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Klopp believes his players did not give everything because they were not good.
“Again, if you want to go through, you need to be outstanding. If you want to win the game, you need to be really good. In the end, Madrid were the better team, and that’s why the right team went through to the next round.”
Liverpool to seek redemption in EPL after Madrid loss
The Reds will now shift focus to the Premier League as they take on Manchester City in their next fixture.
They will return to domestic action looking to redeem themselves after losing 1-0 against relegation-threatened Bournemouth.
Liverpool now has just 12 Premier League games remaining to fight for a top-four finish and return to the Champions League next season.
Klopp’s side is six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, albeit with a game in hand.
But even so, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion are both putting pressure on them, while Newcastle United are two points ahead in fifth place despite having played one game fewer.
