Jurgen Klopp gave Liverpool just a "one per cent chance" of conjuring one of the great all-time Champions League comebacks in Wednesday's last-16 second leg with Real Madrid.
For any other club, maybe, but this is a side that wrote the book on making the impossible possible in the biggest club competition of them all – none more so than their triumph from three goals down against Milan in the 2005 final.
One of four sides to have progressed from a tie having lost the first leg by three or more goals – doing so against Barcelona in the 2018-19 semi-finals – Liverpool simply could not be completely written off.
Even as Karim Benzema fired in Madrid's fifth goal in their 5-2 win at Anfield three weeks ago, there was still that glimmer of hope. The one per cent chance, as Klopp put it.
In the end it was the prolific striker's 78th-minute tap-in that settled the second leg, extinguishing those lingering thoughts among the travelling fans high up in the away end that this would be another of those nights.
Incredibly, that Benzema goal came from the 11th shot on target of the second leg, with the first half in particular on a par with what we witnessed on Merseyside, albeit without the goals to show for it.
But for some fine goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois, channelling his display from last season's showpiece in Paris between these heavyweights when making the most saves on record in a final, who knows what could have happened?
Courtois made four saves in the first half alone, three of those attempts from the energetic Darwin Nunez, who only just about managed as many passes (five) in the opening 45 minutes.
The 17 first-half shots attempted at both ends were just one fewer than the whole of the contest at Anfield, while the eight on-target attempts were the most in a Champions League knockout tie without a goal since the 2013 final.
This latest tussle between clubs boasting 20 European Cups between them certainly did not let down in terms of entertainment as a one-off, but Liverpool's inability to find a way through denied neutrals the jeopardy they tuned in for.
Instead it was Madrid who found a way, as they so often do, to remain on course for a sixth Champions League crown in under a decade. It is a period of dominance the like of which the competition has never seen.
While other teams may have given the Reds that route into the contest they craved, Madrid simply know how to get the job done on the big stage, even if they have struggled for consistency domestically this season.
This is the 27th time in 28 European Cup and Champions League ties they have advanced after winning the first leg away from home, the exception being their 5-3 aggregate defeat to Ajax at this stage in the 2018-19 season.
It was ultimately in that first leg at Anfield the damage was done, a five-goal blast in the space of 46 minutes of playing time completely blowing Liverpool away in a match they led 2-0 at one point.
Not many would have believed you after 20 minutes of the first leg at Anfield if you'd told them that Liverpool would go on to suffer a record equalling defeat across two legs of a European tie.
If not for Alisson, it may well have been a higher margin of defeat in what was an end-to-end game, the Reds keeper making six saves either side of Benzema's finish, which was his final action before limping off ahead of El Clasico.
It was that type of game, as both men between the sticks arguably proved their respective teams' best player.
And so there was to be no magical Madrid comeback for Liverpool, but nor too did they get annihilated in a match that saw them commit players forward in desperate search of that much-needed first goal.
The Reds' sole focus is now on a top-four battle in the Premier League, a far cry from 12 months ago when they already had one cup in the bag and were in hot pursuit of three more.
The era of the 'mentality monsters' is surely over. The question is whether Klopp can get a tune out of the new group he is assembling on the back of this record-equalling loss on the continent. Now that really would be some comeback.
Title-chasing PSG ready for tough game at Lorient, says boss Luis Enrique
Paris Saint-Germain could secure their third straight Ligue 1 title if they defeat Lorient and Monaco fail to beat Lille – but Luis Enrique is not expecting his struggling opponents to hand them any favours.
If Monaco draw or lose against Lille on Wednesday and PSG win away at 17th-placed Lorient, the Parisians would clinch their record 12th league title.
Luis Enrique's side have an 11-point lead over second-placed Monaco with five matches remaining, and a far superior goal difference having lost just one game.
"It's going to be a very difficult game," Enrique told reporters on Tuesday. "When you're at the bottom of the table, you don't have much to lose.
"Generally, teams at the bottom of the table manage to get unexpected results at the end of the season.
"There's a lot at stake. The possibility of being crowned champions is enough to make you pay attention."
The former Barcelona boss, who moved to the French capital last July, is chasing a possible quadruple after PSG booked a Champions League semi-final berth and a spot in the Coupe de France final. PSG secured the Trophee des Champions title in January.
"It motivates us but for the moment, we only have one title, we have to win the league and keep fighting to win it all. It's a long and winding road ahead," Luis Enrique said.
Luis Enrique once again declined to comment on the future of Kylian Mbappe, Ligue 1's highest scorer for the last five seasons.
France captain Mbappe, 25, has been heavily linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
PSG, formed in 1970 via the merger of Paris Football Club and Stade Saint-Germain, have won nine of the last 11 Ligue 1 titles.
Mbappe's frustration lies with their performances in the Champions League, however, a trophy they have never lifted despite huge amounts of investment in the squad.
"When Kylian speaks in public, I'll do the same," Luis Enrique said.
Mikel Arteta salutes ‘unbelievable’ Kai Havertz after another impressive display
Mikel Arteta hailed an “unbelievable” performance from Kai Havertz after his two goals helped Arsenal move three points clear at the top of the Premier League with a thumping 5-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The 24-year-old, who struggled in his early appearances after swapping Stamford Bridge for north London in the summer, gave a superb display against his former side as the leaders heaped more misery on visiting manager Mauricio Pochettino, who saw his ninth-place team slump to a worst-ever league defeat against Arsenal.
Havertz struck twice as part of an 18-minute blitz in the second half as Arteta’s team won for the second time in four days, continuing their recovery from successive losses to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich.
“He (Havertz) was unbelievable, in all departments,” said Arteta.
“For a nine to score two goals the way he scored, his contribution was great. It’s a question for him but I’m sure he’s very pleased.”
The Arsenal onslaught began after only four minutes, Declan Rice sliding the ball into a channel on the left of the penalty area from where Leandro Trossard took over, dinking past defender Alfie Gilchrist, on his first Premier League start, and thudding it through the legs of Djordje Petrovic.
Thereafter Chelsea competed gamely, going close to equalising when Axel Disasi just failed to reach a flick-on from a corner and again when Nicolas Jackson’s effort was deflected onto the post by Gabriel, but in the space of under 20 minutes after the interval they fell to pieces.
First, Ben White reacted quickest to sweep home after Rice’s shot was blocked, then Havertz got his first of the night with a lofted finish over the goalkeeper.
The former Chelsea forward made it 4-0, his shot pinging in off the post with Petrovic rooted, before White provided the moment of the match with a cross-shot that sailed across the face of goal and in from Martin Odegaard’s pass.
“It was a big performance, collectively and individually,” said Arteta, whose side moved clear at the top ahead of Sunday’s derby against Tottenham but have played a game more than Liverpool and two more than Manchester City.
“I thought we were really good, against a really good team that was in great form and were going to ask us a lot of questions. I think we responded really well.
“From the start we were really determined, really flowing, playing with a lot of courage and making things happen. Really happy with the result. It’s a big day for our supporters.
“It’s great for us, for the confidence and for the belief that we can do it, we can come to these stages against big teams and win games the way we’ve done it tonight. So enjoy it, then it’s back to work tomorrow because we have a big one on Sunday.”
Chelsea boss Pochettino, for whom Arteta admitted to have “all the sympathy in the world,” gave a downcast assessment of his team’s prospects of qualifying for Europe after a humbling loss.
“Now it is difficult to see the future because after this game we feel disappointed,” he said. “It is difficult to talk about objectives.
“If we compete like Saturday (in the FA Cup semi-final defeat to City), OK. But if we compete like today, I think we deserve to go into Europe? I think in this way, no.”
Reggae Girl Van Zanten eyes strong comeback from season-ending injury
The thought of being sidelined for an entire season is almost too much for some players to bear, but Jamaica international Kalyssa ‘Kiki’ Van Zanten has embraced her darkest hour with confidence that she will emerge stronger than before.
Van Zanten, 22, who represents Houston Dash in the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) was placed on the season-ending injury list, after she suffered damage to her left foot in the match against the Washington Spirit last Friday.
The American-born Reggae Girlz winger, made the revelation on social media, as she expressed her readiness to take on whatever obstacles came her way on what will be a challenging road back to enjoying her passion.
“Absolutely devastated that my rookie season has been put on hold. I’ll come back better and stronger,” Van Zanten captioned the post, which included an X-ray image of the injury.
Van Zanten was drafted with the number 21 overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft and signed with Houston Dash on March 15. She paraded her skills in four games this season and earned her first start on March 30, when the Dash earned three points on the road against Bay FC.
Prior to her professional move, Van Zanten strutted her stuff for University of Notre Dame in the NCAA Division 1 Women’s tournament, where she made 95 appearances and scored 27 goals.
On the international stage, the soft-spoken player, whose mother is Jamaican and father of a Dutch descent, made her Reggae Girlz debut during the Concacaf Women’s World Cup qualifiers in 2022. She scored her lone international goal against Costa Rica in Jamaica’s Concacaf Women’s Championships third-place finish in Mexico.
Van Zanten known for her speed and flair on the channels, was also a part of Jamaica’s history-making team that secured a famous Round of 16 finish at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
While she grapples with the reality of her injury, Van Zanten finds solace in the support of her teammates, coaches, and fans. Their words of encouragement and unwavering belief in her ability to come back stronger provides the comfort and strength required to face the long road to recovery.
“Thank you to my team, family and friends for all the support,” she said.
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