Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk still had a score to settle with Real Madrid in the Champions League. In the 2:0 win against the defending champions, he cleared everything - including Real star Kylian Mbappé.
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- Liverpool FC continued their impressive winning streak in the Champions League and also demystified defending champions Real Madrid.
- Coach Arne Slot's team defeated the Spaniards 2:0 on matchday 5 of the league phase and have thus already qualified for the knockout phase.
- With the score at 0-0, Reds defender Virgil van Dijk roughly pushed Real striker Kylian Mbappé out of the way. In the blue Sport studio, Mladen Petric and Urs Meier disagree about the action.
Real Madrid was THE opponent of fear for Virgil van Dijk. The Whites have already inflicted some very bitter defeats on the Dutchman in his career. "When you lose two Champions League finals (2018 and 2021 - editor's note), it's obviously very painful," van Dijk told the PA news agency (via Tribuna). "I've never won against them in my entire career, neither at Liverpool nor at any other club. They always found a way to beat us and it was tough."
The 33-year-old Reds defender was therefore particularly fired up ahead of the fifth clash with the Spanish giants: "I don't need any extra motivation for a Champions League game against Real Madrid," he said.
Heated discussion in the studio
In the 18th minute, however, the Liverpool captain overdid it with his commitment. Van Dijk knocked Mbappé out of the way with a check - François Letexier let the offender off without a penalty, although the 25-year-old Frenchman almost involuntarily stood on his head after the foul. In the Champions League studio at blue Sport, former striker Mladen Petric is angry about the scene: "For me, that's a very clear assault. The ball has long gone."
Refereeing expert Urs Meier assesses the action differently: "For me, it's not an assault - it's simply an over-harsh tackle." However, not giving a yellow card was of course "wrong", said the 65-year-old from Aargau. Petric defends his view and says to Meier: "He pulls his shoulders up and then rams them right into his face."
Meier replies: These are just decisions that a referee has to make in each case. "Do I want to give a red card now?" he asks via video link and adds: "It's in the orange zone - I agree with you."
