Mohamed Salah has broken two Champions League records and equalled another, after contributing to both of Liverpool’s goals in a 5-2 home defeat against Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.
Liverpool – who were seeking revenge over Real Madrid after losing last season’s final against the Spanish giants – raced into a two-goal lead at Anfield when Darwin Nunez and Salah both found the net within the opening 14 minutes.
Salah played a perfectly-weighted pass towards Nunez, who audaciously flicked the ball beyond Thibaut Courtois from inside the area to open the scoring in the fourth minute.
In doing so, Liverpool’s
Egyptian king registered his 13th Champions League assist for the Reds, becoming the first player in the club’s history to reach that landmark in the competition.
Salah was then gifted a glorious chance by Courtois, when the Real Madrid goalkeeper miscontrolled a back-pass with his knee, allowing Liverpool’s No.11 to make the net ripple with a side-footed effort in the 14th minute.
Salah has now scored a total of 44 goals in the Champions League, the joint-most by an African player in the competition’s history along with former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker, Didier Drogba.
Forty-two of Salah’s Champions League goals have been scored for Liverpool, and his latest strike has seen him overtake Steven Gerrard as the club’s highest scorer in Europe’s elite club competition.
The attacker has now taken his goal tally for the season to 19 in 34 games across all competitions, with eight of those netted in the Champions League, more than any other player at this stage of the current campaign.
Despite Salah’s impressive individual feats, Liverpool went on to concede five goals in a chaotic Champions League contest, with Real Madrid restoring parity before the break courtesy of two goals from Vinicius Junior.
Eder Militao then gave Los Blancos the lead two minutes into the second half, before a brace from Karim Benzema put the game to bed to hand Carlo Ancelotti’s side a three-goal advantage heading into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu in three weeks’ time. —Reuters
