For 25 minutes in the second half, Liverpool was besieged and irritated in Lisbon. Unexpectedly so. “It’s an away game in the Champions League quarter-finals,” Klopp said. “If the game was easy, something would go wrong with the competition.” His team made the rest of the competition look comfortable, however, and the semifinals will surely be marked by an impressive victory given by Ibrahima Konaté, Sadio Mané and their recruiter in January from Porto. Díaz’s shot in the 87th minute extinguished the noise caused by Benfica’s shocking recovery in the second half inside the Estádio da Luz. Darwin Núñez’s goal may have been dashed. Klopp added: “It was clear when they scored that people would come back and the atmosphere would be good. Good teams tend to use this. The game was slightly more open than we wanted, but in the end we scored and I think everyone would agree that we could have scored more goals and we should. Benfica’s best player was the goalkeeper, which says a lot. It is half time, we are two goals higher. It is not closed. “ Liverpool were a model of composure from the first whistle, as neither the noisy atmosphere inside the pitch nor six changes from the team that beat Watford in the Premier League on Saturday could disrupt its rhythm. Such is the power that Klopp has at his disposal as he enters a decisive phase of the campaign. His team had almost complete control throughout the first half. faster and stronger in challenge, better structured and more cohesive offensive unit. But for some mistakes in front of the goal and interventions of the Benfica goalkeeper, Odysseas Vlachodimou, the quadruple hunters would have sewn the tie at half time. They had to settle for a double-target pillow. Ibrahima Konaté celebrates that he has given Liverpool the lead. Photo: Pedro Fiúza / NurPhoto / Shutterstock Vlachodimos denied Nabi Keita and Mohamed Salah early on and there was an inevitability for the 350th away goal of Klopp’s reign in Liverpool, although not the identity of the scorer. When Andy Robertson takes a corner kick from the left flank on Konaté, he puts the ball directly into the net. Former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen missed the header, while the minimal Everton for some reason marked the tall Konaté. RB Leipzig’s κτη 36million summer signing was of no concern as he celebrated the first goal of his career at Liverpool. The visitors were dominant, a second goal seemingly inevitable with the first, but they escaped terror when Everton’s corner gave Nicolas Otamendi the opportunity to equalize with a close header. The former Manchester City defender failed to connect and paid within seconds as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s exact right foot opened Benfica’s defense. The right back, back to the side after a recent injury of the hind thigh, dragged a beautiful ball between Gilberto and Otamendi and on the path of the rushing Diaz. The Colombian international showed good awareness to pass against Mane, who did not make a mistake with a simple finish at the end of a great move. Another brilliant pass by Alexander-Arnold allowed Salah to score in the half. He played behind Benfica left-back Alejandro Grimaldo, Salah was clean and had time to take his place on the left side of Vlachodimos, but the goalkeeper saved well to prevent the striker from scoring for the ninth consecutive European away game. A 3-0 lead would not flatter Liverpool, such was its superiority, however its course unexpectedly sank immediately after the restart, as Benfica reappeared with much greater intensity and faith. The caretaker coach, Nelson Verisimo, must have been in great shape at the break. Suddenly Núñez wreaked havoc on the center forward, albeit with the help and assistance of a bad mistake by Konaté, and it was Liverpool’s turn to falter. The hosts were given a new goal when Rafa Silva broke the right and focused low in the area. Konaté had the ball just in front of him, but the ball went wide. The Benfica striker easily found the far corner of Allison’s goal. The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily football email. Núñez then shot from a distance and sent a header over another of Silva’s crosses as Benfica pushed for a quick equalizer. Everton forced Allison to repel from a distance and, as the pressure intensified, Klopp responded with a triple change. The introduction of Jordan Henderson, Diogo Giotta and Roberto Firmino helped restore order, though not before Nunieth had a penalty appeal when he left the left and checked in with Virgil van Dyke. The Liverpool defender reached out to stop the striker’s streak, but the Spanish referee and the VAR were not moved by Nunez’s passionate calls for a spot. Benfica’s threat then dissipated and Diaz restored Liverpool’s comfortable advantage with three minutes left. Keïta sent the winger away from Benfica’s defense with a threaded pass that got a light touch from Otamendi. Díaz did the rest, rounding off the leading Vlachodimos before finishing with skill. Maybe it was Dia’s spectacle in front of them that prompted Benfica fans to hit Robertson with lighters and plastic flagpoles when he took a corner a few minutes later. “Maybe it will help them quit smoking,” he said ironically. Liverpool had a good answer for everything that Benfica threw at them.
