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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has hailed winger Vinicius Junior following their 5-2 win over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on February 21.
Los Blancos visited Anfield in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash and started poorly. The Reds scored in the fourth minute via Darwin Nunez before Thibaut Courtois' horrible mistake allowed Mohamed Salah to score in the 14th minute.
This was where Liverpool's dominance ended though. The 14-time Champions League winners made a stunning comeback and put five goals past the hosts.
Vinicius scored the first two goals for Real Madrid. The first goal was an exquisite finish and he pounced on Alisson's mistake for the second goal.
Speaking after the game, Ancelotti hailed the Brazilian forward, saying (via Managing Madrid):
“In my personal opinion, Vinícius is the most decisive player in world football right now. There’s no player with his continued insistence with dribbling, assists and goals, nobody who is more decisive right now. I hope he keeps it up.”
Vinicius was a consistent threat for Liverpool throughout the game and won the Player of the Match award. Apart from his brace, he completed four dribbles, created one big chance, and made one key pass as well.
The Brazilian winger has now scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 35 games across competitions for Real Madrid this season.
Carlo Ancelotti explains thought behind Real Madrid's starting XI against Liverpool
Real Madrid lined up an attacking trio of Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema, and Rodrygo Goes, with Federico Valverde dropping in midfield against Liverpool. Speaking after the game, Ancelotti explained why he chose such an attacking lineup. He said:
“I had been thinking a lot about the line-up. I knew this was different to the [2021-22 Champions League] final, because it’s a two-legged tie, so I knew scoring here would be important. That’s why I opted for a dangerous forward line.
“We wanted this to be an open game. The strategy compared to last year’s final was different. In the final we played a low block, but tonight we played different.”
He added:
“We have taken the advantage in this first leg, but we’ll need to manage the second 90 minutes well in Madrid. I know Liverpool are dangerous, as they showed in the opening minutes here.”
It certainly worked out well as Benzema and Vinicius each scored a brace with Eder Militao also getting on the scoresheet.
Real Madrid will host the second leg on March 15 with a three-goal advantage that could be enough to take them to the quarterfinals.
