Real Madrid (4-3-3): Casillas 6, Arbeloa 7 (Nacho 83min), Varane 6.5, Ramos 6.5, Marcelo 8; Modric 7, Kroos 7.5, Isco 7; Rodriguez 7 (Bale 62, 7), Ronaldo 6, Benzema 8.5 (Hernandez 87).
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Mignolet 7.5, Manquillo 6, Toure 8, Skrtel 6.5, Moreno 7.5; Can 6 (Coutinho 75, 6), Lucas 7 (Gerrard 69, 6); Lallana 7, Allen 7, Markovic 5 (Sterling 69, 6); Borini 6.5.
Liverpool ‘B’ team return home with a respectable defeat after they manage to restrict Real Madrid only to a solitary Karim Benzema goal.
When Brendan Rodgers released his teamsheet the world was just shocked and expected Real to run riot. A midfield comprising Can, Lucas and Allen is indeed no match to a mid-table Premier League side let alone Real Madrid for heaven’s sake. But with their perseverance and hardwork they managed to hold a formidable Madrid side at bay.
Karim Benzema once again scored against them. It was a typical Real Madrid goal with all their wide players combining to set up Benzema who just had to poke the ball into the net.
Rodgers’ spare boys did their job as they defended throughout the 90 minutes with their heart on sleeves. Except the goals scored, everything in the match was along the expected. Real were battering Liverpool in all departments. At one point, they were literally toying with them. As Carlo Ancelotti said, they lacked the intensity in this match which was the face-saver for Liverpool.
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