Diego Simeone believes Vinicius Junior has made "enormous" strides, as the Real Madrid star looks to inflict more derby misery on Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Vinicius scored twice as Madrid thrashed Liverpool 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Anfield on Tuesday, taking him to 18 goals for the season.

The Brazilian has saved some of his best performances for meetings with Simeone's Atleti, scoring in January's extra-time Copa del Rey win and starring in a 2-1 away triumph in the teams' last league clash in September.

Speaking at a press conference to preview Saturday's trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, Simeone was full of praise for the in-form winger.

"I think his growth has been enormous," Simeone said of Vinicius on Friday. 

"It was a great bet that Real Madrid had on him, he improved all of his numbers year after year, and he's in a great moment as a player."

Saturday's game will see Simeone claim the outright record for the most matches as coach of one club in LaLiga history, as he oversees Atleti for the 425th time in the league.

Meanwhile, Simeone's 612th game with Atleti will see him draw level with Luis Aragones as the coach to have led them in the most competitive fixtures. 

The Argentine puts his longevity down to the application of those who have played under him, saying: "Above all, I am lucky, and I have to be grateful to the club and to all those who played for the team. 

"Without all these situations, both for the club and for the players, it would be impossible to meet these numbers; they made me able to express myself. 

"The numbers are accompanied by the results. I'm grateful to all the players who went through the team. I am in the place I want to be, and I am still very excited."

While Atleti's six-game unbeaten run in LaLiga is their longest of the season, they sit 10 points behind second-placed Madrid in the table and look destined to endure a trophyless campaign.

Simeone, however, is adamant they have much to play for, adding: "There are seasons where we can compete to win something and others when it seems far away.

"It is not less important, what we have left. Every match where you put on the Rojiblanco shirt, you have to be excited."

Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid's goal remains to win every trophy possible this season, despite sitting eight points behind Barcelona in LaLiga.

Madrid have already won the Club World Cup, have qualified for the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and are well on their way to the last eight of the Champions League after their 5-2 first leg win at Liverpool in the round of 16 on Tuesday.

However, they have dropped points in five of their last 11 league games to fall well behind Barca in the title race, also losing to the Blaugrana in the Supercopa de Espana final.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's derby against Atletico Madrid, head coach Ancelotti recognised things could be better, but he is confident of pushing Madrid's Clasico rivals all the way in the remaining 16 league games.

"We're going to try to win every competition. We're second in the league, so that won't be easy," he said, later adding: "No, I am not happy with the season [so far].

"I would rather be eight points clear and have won the Supercopa de Espana, and a 5-0 result at Anfield would have been better than 5-2, but still, we're doing very well... Hopefully we can recover those lost points [in the league]."

Vinicius Junior was again key at Anfield in midweek, scoring twice, and Ancelotti spoke highly of the in-form Brazilian.

"He works hard, looks after himself, and it is so important that he can keep playing at this level and avoid injuries," he said. 

"What Vinicius shows on the field is what he always tries in training. He has improved a lot in his finishing because he has trained a lot. After training, Vinicius spends 10 to 15 minutes to improve his shooting.

"The challenge ahead is continuity. Trying for 90 minutes, that's what's difficult."

Ancelotti revealed that midfield pair Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos will be available again after illness, while he also confirmed Nacho will start at left-back against Atletico amid uncertainty around his long-term future at the club.

"I see Nacho every day and there has been a time when he was not happy," he said. "He has not complained to me, and he has continued to suffer the period that he has not played. He has been a professional, and at the moment I always needed him, he has complied.

"I have a weakness which is that [I have to make sure] Madrid is happy... and that only happens if we win. I feel sorry for my players because I am very fond of them. I just want Real Madrid to be satisfied."

Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Raphael Varane were among those to pay tribute to Sergio Ramos following his retirement from international football.

The veteran defender, a World Cup winner and Spain's most-capped men's player, called time on his La Roja career on Thursday.

Ramos' decision came after new head coach Luis de la Fuente informed him he would not be part of his plans, after his absence at both Euro 2020 and Qatar 2022.

The news sparked an outpouring of support from team-mates past and present, with several taking to social media to congratulate him on a storied international career.

PSG forward Mbappe and Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos both called him: "The best."

Manchester United defender Varane, who played with Ramos at the Santiago Bernabeu, referred to him as a "legend", while current Los Blancos forward Vinicius Junior posted a crown emoji.

Neymar, another PSG team-mate, offered a trio of applause icons while Achraf Hakimi, whose Morocco side ended Spain's run at Qatar 2022, said: "Respect to you."

Ramos, who also won a pair of European Championships in 2008 and 2012 either side of his World Cup triumph at South Africa 2010, won 180 caps for Spain.

He made his international debut in 2005, in a friendly victory over China, and would go on to score 23 goals, ranking him ninth on the country's all-time scorer list.

After last featuring as a substitute against Kosovo in 2021, Ramos was subsequently overlooked by former head coach Luis Enrique for Euro 2020 and Qatar 2022.

If Kylian Mbappe joins Real Madrid, he must do so with his head down, according to former Los Blancos midfielder Guti.

The Paris Saint-Germain star has been perennially linked with a move to Santiago Bernabeu, but sensationally snubbed Madrid last year when he agreed to a new deal in the French capital.

Reports continue to suggest a transfer in the next couple of years is still a possibility, despite Madrid supposedly being angered by Mbappe's decision that prevented them from being able to sign him on a free transfer at the end of last season.

Speaking on El Chiringuito, Guti said: "Mbappe must come to Real Madrid with his head down and be like one of the others in the dressing room. 

"If this is not the case, he is mistaken and does not know which club he is representing. 

"It is reality. [Luis] Figo came, Ronaldo came...

"I don't know what his reality is in Paris and how it goes in the PSG locker room. 

"He might be the best player in the world who would be signed, but Real Madrid are much more than that."

The 24-year-old has scored 27 goals in 28 games for PSG this season and recently became the youngest player to score 150 goals in Ligue 1 by two years.

Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul has been sidelined for an unspecified period with a thigh injury ahead of this weekend's derby with Real Madrid.

The Argentina international, who started his side's LaLiga victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, was forced from the field just before the hour mark.

De Paul, a member of La Albiceleste's World Cup-winning squad at Qatar 2022, has now been confirmed to have suffered a thigh issue.

"Rodrigo De Paul is suffering from a thigh injury, according to the medical tests he has undergone after ended up with muscular problems the match against Athletic Bilbao," read an official statement.

"The midfielder will begin to receive physiotherapy sessions, rehabilitation training and is pending evolution."

Though no timeframe has been given for De Paul's potential return, Atletico will hope he is not sidelined for a prolonged period as Diego Simeone's side fight for a top-four finish in LaLiga.

However, it would seem unlikely De Paul will be fit for Saturday's trip to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Virgil van Dijk acknowledged Liverpool were at fault for their mistakes in their Champions League loss to Real Madrid but argued they cannot expect to perform like "robots".

Liverpool blew a two-goal lead at Anfield, slumping to a 5-2 loss in the first leg of their last-16 tie against the holders.

Amid a difficult season for Jurgen Klopp's side, their collapse against Madrid made for a chastening rematch of last year's final, which finished 1-0 to Los Blancos in Paris.

Van Dijk did not dispute another off-colour performance yet the centre-back stressed errors are to be expected when players are only human.

"[Across] the whole of the Champions League, there are quality players all over teams," he told reporters. "They can punish you, and can punish the mistakes that you make.

"That's what they did in the second half, and it is pretty clear to see. [There were] mistakes that we shouldn't make, but it happens in football.

"We're not robots, sometimes mistakes happen. That is the case. The only thing we can do is learn from it and focus on the next one to ensure it doesn't happen [again]."

After goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had given them a two-goal cushion inside the opening 15 minutes, Liverpool seemed on course for a memorable Anfield triumph.

Yet their defensive frailties came to the fore as Vinicius Junior curled in a supreme finish before pouncing on Alisson's mistake to restore parity.

Eder Militao put Madrid ahead early in the second half before Karim Benzema's double left the hosts with a mountain to climb in the return leg next month.

Klopp was less than impressed with cheap concessions, but did feel his side's first-half performance was among the best they have delivered this campaign.

"We gave all five goals away," he said in his post-match press conference. 

"All five. We could have done better there [but] in our situation where we are, it is really important we that see positive steps.

"I think the first half, aside from the two goals we conceded, was the best we've played [across] the whole season.

"The second half obviously was the game Real Madrid wanted to play, and that's how we came to the result."

Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic has reportedly caught the attention of LaLiga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Bajcetic, 18, scored his first Premier League goal in a short substitute appearance against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and after impressing in a pair of January FA Cup starts, he forced his way into the first team.

He has started their past four Premier League fixtures as well as Tuesday's Champions League Final rematch against Madrid, indicating a rapid rise in the eyes of Jurgen Klopp.

The Spaniard left Celta Vigo in 2020 to head to the Premier League, but his home country could soon come calling to bring him back.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL TEEN CAPTURES IMAGINATION OF EUROPE'S ELITE

According to Fichajes, both Barcelona and Madrid "have been closely following his evolution", and they believe Bajcetic possesses the qualities necessary to perform at the highest level.

Barcelona reportedly view him as "an ideal piece to form a future midfield with Pedri and Gavi", while Madrid would like him to be the successor to ageing veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

His contract ties him to Anfield until 2027, but the Spanish giants could try to test his transfer value as soon as this off-season.

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Mail is reporting Aston Villa will listen to offers for 30-year-old goalkeeper and World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez after the season with the hope that a significant transfer fee could fund a mini-rebuild.

– Leicester City will look to sell James Maddison at the end of the season if they can not convince him to sign a new contract, with Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham named as interested parties, per Football Insider.

– According to The Telegraph, 31-year-old midfielder N'Golo Kante will sign a new contract to remain at Chelsea.

– Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting Inter will look to move on from wing-backs Denzel Dumfries and Robin Gosens at the end of the season, with Dumfries a potential piece in a swap deal for Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku.

– According to the Evening Standard, Saudi Arabian clubs – including Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr – are circling 30-year-old Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha with the belief he would be open to a Middle East move for the right price.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Carlo Ancelotti thinks their Champions League last-16 tie is over after Real Madrid trounced the Reds 5-2 at Anfield in Tuesday's first leg.

The Reds blew an early two-goal lead after Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah's early strikes to suffer the heavy defeat, which leaves them with a mountain to climb in the second leg in Madrid on March 15.

The defeat was the first time the Reds have conceded four or more goals at home in a European game.

Ancelotti insisted the tie is still live after the game despite the deficit, while Klopp remained hopeful, but conceded it was going to be tough to turn it around.

"I think Carlo thinks the tie is over – and I think it as well in the moment," Klopp told reporters. "But in three weeks... the closer you get to the game the bigger our chances become and the less likely it is the tie is over.

"Tonight, with the 5-2, they are pretty good in counter-attacking and we have to score three goals there and take some risk, so that could be a bit tricky.

"We go there, I can say it now already and try to win the game. If that is possible or not, I don't know now but that's what we will try and from there we will see."

Liverpool became the first team in Champions League history to lose by a three-goal margin after being 2-0 up.

Klopp acknowledged Eder Militao's free header from a Luka Modric set-piece straight after half-time for 3-2 shifted the momentum.

"I really thought the 3-2 had a massive impact," he said. "The 2-1 and the 2-2 not so much… my personal feeling was, 'first goal, OK, bad defending but well done as well, the second was slapstick but get over it'.

"Then the third goal directly after half-time, we didn't deal particularly well with that. We don't want to concede goals but I think if we just think about the first half, everybody's impression was, 'Wow, that was a really good first half' even when we conceded two.

"I really thought our people saw it exactly like that, they were outstanding tonight in a difficult game. The first half it was not too difficult to be positive but in the second half when it was difficult to stay positive, they were positive and I am thankful for that."

Defender Joe Gomez was replaced in the 73rd minute with an apparent injury concern, although Klopp had no clear update on his status.

"He showed a little bit of a sign but then we just made a decision," Klopp said. "Now we will see and he will get checked tomorrow."

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti lauded Vinicius Junior as the "most decisive player in world football" after inspiring Tuesday's 5-2 Champions League win over Liverpool.

Madrid found themselves trailing 2-0 early on thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, the latter coming after a calamitous Thibaut Courtois error.

But Vinicius scored twice before half-time to level the score – his first a wonderful finish into the bottom-right corner, the second a fortuitous goal that involved him blocking Alisson's clearance into the net.

He then won the free-kick that yielded Madrid's third goal just after the break and got the assist when Karim Benzema made it 5-2.

Seven players from Europe's top five leagues have more than Vinicius' 27 goal involvements across all competitions this term, though Ancelotti would seemingly not swap any of them for the Brazilian.

"Today, in my personal opinion, he is the most decisive player in world football," Ancelotti told reporters of Vinicius, who became the youngest (22 years and 224 days old) away player to score twice against Liverpool at Anfield in major European competition since Johan Cruyff in December 1966 (19y 233d).

"He doesn't stop. He dribbles, assists, scores. Now he is the most decisive. Hopefully he can continue like this."

The match was a far cry from the two teams' previous meeting in last season's Champions League final, which Liverpool dominated before losing 1-0.

It was put to Ancelotti that Liverpool had changed a lot – regressed, even – since that game in Paris, but he was not so sure and looked to impress on his players that the tie is not over yet ahead of the return leg on March 15.

"I only know that we have taken advantage in these 90 minutes and we have to manage the 90 in Madrid well," Ancelotti added.

"Liverpool are a very competitive team, who have created many problems for us. Unfortunately, the tie has not ended.

"They are still a great team in my opinion. They play with intensity and a very high pace, it is difficult to see teams like that in Europe.

"They haven't changed, but we proposed a game plan that was different from the one in the final. Then we played with a low block, and this time our plan was very different."

Jordan Henderson knows Liverpool were their own worst enemies in a stunning 5-2 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid at Anfield.

The Reds made a dream start to the first leg of the round-of-16 tie on Tuesday, opening up a two-goal lead after only 14 minutes courtesy of a sublime Darwin Nunez flick and a Thibaut Courtois howler that enabled Mohamed Salah to become the club's record European scorer with 42.

That was as good as it got for Liverpool on Merseyside, as Vinicius Junior pulled one back with a sumptuous finish before Alisson's terrible attempted pass struck the Brazil winger and looped into the net.

An unmarked Eder Militao capitalised on abysmal Reds defending to head the holders in front early in the second and Karim Benzema's double put them in complete command.

Madrid beat Liverpool in the final last year and Carlo Ancelotti's side should seal their place in the last eight in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 15.

Reds captain Henderson feels the Premier League side only have themselves to blame after they conceded five goals at home for first time in Europe, with Madrid becoming the first team to win by a three-goal margin after being two down in the Champions League.

The midfielder told BT Sport: "It's Very difficult. For large parts of the first half we performed well and were unlucky to be level at half-time. We made too many mistakes. Real Madrid punished us every time tonight.

"A lot was [due to] their quality. We didn't help ourselves for sure. We didn't defend it [Militao's goal] well enough. The game went away from us at that point.

"The last two games we kept clean sheets. it's difficult to come here and speak. Yes, they have a lot of quality. When you're not 100 per cent defending they punish you. We caused ourselves problems at times. It's a tough one to take in the end.

"We still played a good first half. We were on top and created some good chances. There was a good chance at 2-0, a scuffle on the line. If that goes in it's a big moment.

"The second goal obviously is a mistake. The third we'll be disappointed with. That's when the game went away from us."

Henderson says Liverpool can ill afford to feel sorry for themselves as they look to climb from eighth in the Premier League and sneak a Champions League spot for next season, with their chances of qualifying as European champions looking so slim.

"It's [the second leg] still a few weeks away," he added. "We have to move on quickly. We have Premier League games before then, so we have to concentrate on that, and cross this bridge when we come to it."

Jurgen Klopp rued Liverpool's inability to maintain their momentum as they suffered a 5-2 comeback defeat to Real Madrid after a breathtaking start.

Liverpool raced into a 2-0 lead at Anfield on Tuesday, seemingly putting themselves in a great position in their Champions League last-16 tie.

But Madrid had wiped out their lead by half-time and ultimately romped home to a stunning victory as they became the first team to put five past the Reds at Anfield in Europe.

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah got the Liverpool goals before Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema scored braces either side of Eder Militao's header – both teams' second goals came from glaring goalkeeping errors.

Klopp was noticeably dejected at full-time, but he did not appear especially angry.

Instead, he was keen to highlight how he felt Liverpool looked like their old selves again during the first half before being knocked off course.

"The beginning was outstanding," he told BT Sport. "It was us in a nutshell. It was perfect, exactly how we wanted to play, causing problems all over the place. A super intense start, 2-0 up. The whole first half was good beside the goals.

"After the first goal we became slightly passive higher up the pitch, we weren't chasing them, and we had to chase them because this is a team that when you get passive, you get punished. The second goal is slapstick. It shouldn't happen, can't happen, 2-2.

"The first situation pretty much [after half-time] they played a long ball to Vinicius. I'm not sure if it's a foul, but in the end [the referee] whistles it, and how we defend that is not OK. Then 3-2 and that doesn't help against a team who are outstandingly good on the counter-attack.

"We couldn't get back on track anymore. You need to play like the first half for the full 95 minutes. That's possible, but you need momentum back. After the 3-2 goal, it was exactly the opposite.

"They became more confident and scored great goals. One was deflected, I think. That's how it is. It's a strange one. We lost 5-2, we know that too, but there's a lot from me to take from it as well."

Liverpool go to Madrid for the second leg on March 15, knowing they require something akin to a miracle if they are to eliminate the reigning champions and secure their unlikely passage to the quarter-finals.

First, though, the Reds go to Crystal Palace on Saturday hoping to make it three wins in a row in the Premier League. Victory at Selhurst Park will move them to within three points of the top four.

Jamie Carragher hit out at former side Liverpool after a "shambolic" Champions League showing as a rampant Real Madrid fought back to "destroy" the Reds.

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, the latter capitalising on an inexplicable Thibaut Courtois error, fired Jurgen Klopp's side into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes at Anfield in the first leg of their last-16 clash.

But Carlo Ancelotti's defending European champions responded in ruthless fashion, with a Vinicius Junior first-half double restoring parity before Eder Militao nodded Madrid in front in the second period.

A Karim Benzema brace secured a 5-2 lead to defend at Santiago Bernabeu on March 15, with Liverpool the first team in Champions League history to take a 2-0 lead and lose by a three-goal margin.

It marked the first time in Europe that Liverpool have conceded five goals at home as well and Carragher was left in disbelief as he launched a scathing assessment.

The former Liverpool captain said on CBS Sports: "First of all what a performance by Real Madrid to come to Anfield and do that.

"I've never seen a team come to Anfield, on a European night that I can remember, and perform and destroy Liverpool like that.

"That was shambolic from Liverpool, embarrassing, we've made excuses for them all season. 

"We've said reasons why they're not doing as well as they have done in previous seasons, but that was a disgrace in that second half."

Klopp's charges, on the back of two straight wins, had the chance to salvage the tie with the game finely poised at 2-2 at half-time.

But Liverpool, who sit eighth in the Premier League after an otherwise poor start to 2023, crumbled under the pressure – much to the disgust of Carragher.

He added: "To not even have a chance, to show any real fight after the goals go in and to lose that second half 3-0, when you're attacking The Kop and it's 2-2 in the tie, absolutely shambolic from Liverpool.

"What I'm talking about in terms of shambolic, is defensively shambolic all season. 

"It was nonsense that Liverpool were back after the last two games, they played against an Everton team who produced one of the worst performances in a derby, they did nothing.

"At Newcastle, Newcastle had 10 men and created chances, if they had 11 they would have got back in the game I'm convinced.

"That is because Liverpool right now, all season in fact, have been an absolute shambles defensively. This team had a great defensive record last season.

"The midfield doesn't have the energy any more, the attacking players don't press or have the cohesion they had before.

"This Liverpool defence, who we've been told for years have the best players in the world, can't cope. For years, they've had a front six in front of them who worked harder and smarter than any other team in football, but now they're gone they've absolutely fallen apart."

Carragher was unable to mount any kind of defence for Liverpool or Klopp, with the Reds' performance against Madrid embodying a season of underperformance and failure.

He continued: "I keep making excuses, because as Liverpool fans we adore this manager and the team as they've done so much in the last few years, but they are eighth in the Premier League and just been battered 5-2, I know by Real Madrid.

"But these two teams were in the final last year, it's not acceptable to watch this season, we keep giving reasons and excuses, but it's nowhere near good enough.

"What makes me laugh is Virgil van Dijk said I wouldn't get in their back four a few months ago – I think I'd take his place at the moment."

Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold were so optimistic. After the commendable – albeit imperfect – 2-0 win over Newcastle United at the weekend, Liverpool seemed confident their luck was changing.

Liverpool had endured several previous instances this season of winning games but then struggling to build momentum.

"This feels a little bit different," Van Dijk said. Alexander-Arnold struck a similarly defiant tone.

But Jurgen Klopp's men were brought crashing back to earth in brutal fashion on Tuesday, losing 5-2 to Real Madrid at Anfield in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Let's not forget, Madrid were arguably fortuitous 1-0 victors over Liverpool in last season's final. But here, once Carlo Ancelotti's side were on the scoreboard, this was pretty much all Madrid.

It wasn't exactly plain sailing for Madrid, but they're built differently. They're a special case.

Eduardo Camavinga said it best in an interview with the Guardian earlier this week: "People think Madrid are dead, but Madrid are never, never dead."

So when Liverpool rather astonishingly found themselves 2-0 up against the European champions inside 15 minutes, surely even the most ardent Reds fans had a twinge of trepidation deep in their minds.

Madrid have made a habit of seemingly coming back from the dead. Their route to glory last season had them resembling the undead in virtually every tie, with frankly absurd comebacks seeing them past Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Lucky? Perhaps, but sometimes you create your own luck, whether that's with individual quality or benefiting from individual errors.

There was a lot of both going on at Anfield on Tuesday.

Darwin Nunez's opener was a delight. Making the run in behind the Madrid defence, he anticipated Mohamed Salah's precise low pass and met it with an impudent flick of the right heel, the connection perfect as Thibaut Courtois was left helpless.

That was the sublime. Then came the ridiculous.

Courtois controlled a bouncing pass in his own area, but with Salah bearing down, the goalkeeper panicked. An accidental touch off his knee caused him to lose all control of the situation, and the Liverpool attacker duly prodded home.

The ground refused to swallow him up, forcing Courtois to cope with the very public violation of his dignity.

But nothing about the opening 15 minutes suggested Liverpool could count on a clean sheet. There were slips, spills and errors galore, the slick pitch proving rather hazardous for both sets of players.

As such, it wasn't particularly surprising when Madrid did pull one back in the 21st minute with a moment of magic of their own.

After a quick interchange with Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior received the ball just inside the box. Seemingly surrounded, one drop of the shoulder opened up space and he somehow found the bottom-far corner.

While Liverpool chances continued to arrive, that incident felt like something of a turning point, and Alisson soon took some of the glare away from his goalkeeping counterpart.

Trying to play out from the back, his pass slammed straight against Vinicius' leg and ricocheted into the net. Klopp emitted a wry chuckle.

Suddenly it became a contest of who would respond better to such a setback. Madrid already showed their impressive hand – could Liverpool match them?

The answer was ultimately unequivocal.

Liverpool were again their own worst enemies at the start of the second half. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez failed to deal with Vinicius legally, the latter deemed to have fouled him on the left edge of the box.

Liverpool's defence lined up across the edge of the six-yard box. So bad was the defending here that Luka Modric didn't even try to put his delivery behind them, instead in front where Eder Militao – incredibly unmarked – was allowed to simply head home.

By now, the intensity Liverpool had shown during the first half was nowhere to be seen. At times Madrid looked like they'd struggle to give up possession even on purpose. The Reds were drained physically and emotionally – Los Blancos could smell blood.

The young Stefan Bajcetic was the next Liverpool player to commit a major error. Robbed of the ball in midfield, within seconds Madrid had the ball in the net again, the previously quiet Benzema seeing his rather tame left-footed effort deflect in off Joe Gomez.

But the fifth and final goal was all about Madrid's quality. Modric rolled back the years with a surging run before finding Vinicius, who showcased his ever-improving decision-making as he lured in the defender prior to slipping through to Benzema. He deceived three – including Alisson – with one swivel with the hips before effortlessly picking out the top-left corner.

Klopp referred to last season's Champions League final defeat to Madrid as "proper torture" – if that's an apt description, then it'll be intriguing to see how he labels this.

The Reds went from looking sensational to immensely fragile within about five minutes, and against Ancelotti's seasoned winners, that's never going to be a recipe for success.

This was the first time Liverpool have ever conceded five goals at home in Europe – it was simultaneously a harsh reality check and a grim reminder of how far they've fallen in less than a year.

Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema heaped more Champions League pain on Liverpool as Real Madrid produced a storming fightback to secure a stunning 5-2 victory at Anfield.

Darwin Nunez's sublime flick and Mohamed Salah's strike following a Thibaut Courtois howler gave the Reds a two-goal lead only 14 minutes into a dramatic first leg of the round-of-16 tie on Tuesday.

That proved to be a false dawn as the holders stormed back in a rematch of last year's final, Vinicius pulling one back with a classy finish before a bad mistake from Alisson gifted him a second goal in an enthralling first half.

Eder Militao headed Madrid in front early in the second half before Benzema's double gave Carlo Ancelotti's ruthless side a commanding advantage to take back to the Spanish capital for the second leg on March 15.

Nunez produced a moment of magic in the fourth minute to put the hosts in front, meeting Salah's whipped ball with an audacious right-foot flick that flashed past Courtois.

Courtois endured a nightmare 10 minutes later, controlling a back past on his chest before the ball bounced off his knee to present Salah with a simple chance to double Liverpool's lead.

Madrid looked like they did not know what had hit them, but Vinicius halved the deficit in the 21st minute by showing excellent close control in the box before bending a sumptuous right-foot finish into the bottom corner.

The winger was celebrating in front of The Kop again nine minutes before the break after Alisson's terrible attempted pass struck his Brazil team-mate and looped into the net.

Madrid lost David Alaba to injury during a pulsating first half which they would have ended with a lead had Andy Robertson not shown great awareness to deny Rodrygo a tap-in.

Los Blancos were in front two minutes into the second half, though, when an unmarked Militao capitalised on terrible defending to head in the influential Luka Modric's free-kick.

An evening that had started well then took another turn for the worse for Liverpool, with Benzema's shot striking Joe Gomez and giving a wrong-footed Alisson no chance.

Liverpool were opened up again after 67 minutes, Modric and Vinicius combining before Benzema sat Alisson down and demonstrated great composure to finish with his left foot.

Former Real Madrid forward and honorary club president Amancio Amaro has died at the age of 83.

Having joined Madrid from Deportivo de La Coruna in 1962, right-sided attacker Amancio scored 155 goals in 471 appearances for Los Blancos.

As well as winning nine league titles and one European Cup with Madrid, Amancio played a prominent role as Spain were crowned European champions in 1964, finishing third in the Ballon d'Or voting that year.

After his retirement, Amancio coached Madrid's Castilla team to the second-tier title in 1984, aiding the development of Emilio Butragueno and others, before being named honorary club president following the death of Paco Gento last year.

A club statement read: "Real Madrid CF, its president and its board of directors deeply regret the death of Amancio Amaro, honorary president of Real Madrid and one of the great legends of our club and of world football.

"Together with Paco Gento, Amancio led Real Madrid after five consecutive European Cups, and represents the values that have forged the history of our club.

"Amancio Amaro has passed away at the age of 83. He will be remembered by all Madridistas and by all football fans as one of the great legends of this sport.

"Real Madrid extends its condolences to all Real Madrid fans. Rest in peace."