27 May 1981
Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool (European Cup final)
Victorious in 1977 and 1978, this was Liverpool’s third European Cup final. With Kenny Dalglish having had little game time, Real were troubled by the fitness of their English forward Laurie Cunningham, who was effectively marked out of the game. Bob Paisley’s side dominated possession at the Parc des Princes, played with width and kept the Madrid keeper Augustín Rodríguez busy all night.
The breakthrough came in the 82nd minute when Alan Kennedy surged down the left, beat the Real No 2 Rafael García Cortés and fired a left-foot shot past Augustín. Liverpool held on and Paisley became the first manager to win three European Cups. David Lacey’s report in the Guardian stated: “In truth Liverpool always seemed the more likely winners and victory came after they had walked through not so much a storm as a series of squally showers of the type that Parisians had been avoiding all day.”
Liverpool Clemence; Neal, Thompson, Hansen, A Kennedy, Lee, McDermott, Souness, R Kennedy, Johnson, Dalglish (Case).
Real Madrid Augustín; Cortés (Pineda), Sabido, Navajas, Camacho, Del Bosque, Angel, Stielike, Juanito, Santillana, Cunningham.
Referee K Paloti (Hun). Attendance 84,000.
25 February 2009
Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool (Champions League last 16)
With eight minutes of the last-16 first leg remaining, Yossi Benayoun, who started in the absence of Steven Gerrard, on the bench with hamstring trouble, headed Fábio Aurélio’s free‑kick beyond Iker Casillas. Rafael Benítez thus claimed his first victory against his boyhood club as a manager.
Real Madrid Casillas; Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze, Robben, Gago, L Diarra, Marcelo (Guti 46), Higuaín, Raúl.
Liverpool Reina; Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurélio, Benayoun, Alonso, Mascherano, Riera (Gerrard 88), Torres (Babel 61), Kuyt (Lucas 90).
Referee R Rosetti (It). Attendance 85,000.
10 March 2009
Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid (Champions League last 16)
The second leg further ground in the dirt the noses of Juande Ramos’s team, with Gerrard and Fernando Torres cast as tormentors in chief. Torres launched Liverpool’s win by turning in Dirk Kuyt’s cross from close range after 16 minutes. Twelve minutes later Gerrard converted from the penalty spot after Gabriel Heinze’s handball. Then came Gerrard again, belting in the third from Ryan Babel’s cross two minutes after half‑time. Real’s humbling was completed with two minutes left by substitute Andrea Dossena, scoring his first for the club. Liverpool went on to face Chelsea in the quarter-final, losing 7-5 on aggregate.
Liverpool Reina; Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurélio, Alonso (Lucas 60), Mascherano, Kuyt, Gerrard (Spearing 74), Babel, Torres (Dossena 83).
Real Madrid Casillas; Ramos, Cannavaro (Van der Vaart 64), Pepe, Heinze, Robben (Marcelo 46), L Diarra, Gago (Guti 77), Sneijder, Raúl, Higuaín.
Referee F De Bleeckere (Bel). Attendance 42,550.
22 October 2014
Liverpool 0-3 Real Madrid (Champions League Group B)
The tables were turned five years on as Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 70th goal in the Champions League as Carlo Ancelotti’s side hit three first‑half goals, two supplied by Karim Benzema. Such was the imperiousness of the former United player’s performance that he was applauded off when substituted. This was the first time Liverpool had conceded three in the opening 45 minutes of a European game since the Istanbul final in 2005. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers’s foul night was further compounded when Mario Balotelli misjudged the mood and decided to swap shirts with Pepe at the interval. “You can see Real’s quality,” Rodgers lamented. “Speed, technique; you can see why they are champions.”
Liverpool Mignolet; Johnson, Lovren, Moreno, Skrtel, Gerrard, Coutinho (Markovic 67), Henderson (Can 67) Allen, Sterling, Balotelli (Lallana h-t).
Real Madrid Casillas; Varane, Pepe, Marcelo (Nacho 85), Arbeloa, Kroos (Illarramendi, 82), Rodríguez, Modric, Isco, Ronaldo (Khedira 75), Benzema.
Referee N Rizzoli (Italy). Attendance 43,521.
4 November 2014
Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool (Champions League Group B)
And so to the return and again Benzema did the damage, clipping a Marcelo cross high into the net from close range in the 27th minute. Rodgers had made seven changes to the team who had lost against Newcastle United at the weekend: Gerrard, Coutinho, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson and Balotelli were all on the bench and Liverpool failed to muster a shot in the first half. Real had 13. “I knew what I was doing with the selection and it was a good performance,” said Rodgers. Real advanced but were undone 3-2 on aggregate by Juventus.
Real Madrid Casillas; Arbeloa (Nacho 83), Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Rodríguez (Bale 62), Modric, Kroos, Isco, Benzema (Hernández 87), Ronaldo.
Liverpool Mignolet; Manquillo, Skrtel, Touré, Moreno, Can (Coutinho 75), Lucas (Gerrard 69), Allen, Markovic (Sterling 69), Borini, Lallana.
Referee V Kassai (Hun). Attendance 79,283.
