There was no historic comeback for Liverpool. as Real Madrid’s title defense in the Champions League rolled into the quarter-finals. Liverpool never really came close to overcoming its three-goal deficit from the first leg against the titleholders at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to end its hopes of another run to the final. 

Karim Benzema scored late and Madrid advanced to the quarters for the third straight season with a 6-2 aggregate score following a 5-2 win from the first leg in England, when it rallied from two goals down early in the first half. “It was a complicated match, against a good opponent,” Benzema said. “We showed from the start that we wanted to attack, so it was a good match for the fans and we are into the quarter-finals.”