Real Madrid lose in the Champions League again
Liverpool 2 - 0 Real Madrid
Liverpool finally overcame their Real Madrid curse with a well-deserved victory, maintaining a perfect Champions League record in a thrilling encounter at Anfield.
What's going wrong for Real Madrid?
Three defeats in five games have left Real Madrid facing a tough challenge to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League.
This is not the situation the 15-time European champions anticipated. Following a 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Wednesday, the Spanish giants find themselves 24th in the standings and in real danger of an early exit from the tournament they have long dominated.
Under the competition’s new format, the top eight teams automatically progress to the last 16, while those ranked ninth to 24th enter a two-legged play-off. Currently sitting in the final play-off spot, the reigning champions are teetering on the brink of elimination.
On the night, superstars Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham struggled to make an impact. Mbappe’s missed penalty epitomised a miserable evening for the holders.
With three losses in this season’s group matches—matching their total from their previous 24 games in the competition—what is going wrong for Real Madrid? And could they really face the unthinkable prospect of crashing out of the Champions League?
More analysis
It’s easy to pin the blame on Mbappe’s penalty miss or his quiet performance, but the issues run much deeper.
An even bigger concern for Carlo Ancelotti is the team’s mounting injury crisis. Eduardo Camavinga limped off at Anfield with a suspected hamstring injury, adding to an already lengthy list of absentees. This includes key players such as Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, Vinícius Jr, Aurélien Tchouaméni, David Alaba, and Éder Militão. With so many stars sidelined, Real are struggling to maintain their usual dominance.
Were Liverpool just too good?
Real Madrid had been a significant hurdle for Jurgen Klopp. He suffered painful losses in the Champions League finals against them in 2018 and 2022, in addition to other defeats over the past few seasons.
However, Slot has managed to change this narrative by leading his team to a remarkable victory over Real Madrid, breaking a streak of six losses and two draws against the 15-time Champions League winners. This victory represents a powerful statement of intent since this unassuming Dutch coach took over from Klopp.
