Goals: Real Madrid-Benzema 27'
Recap: Ninety minutes of uninspired football saw Real Madrid defeat Liverpool 1-0 on Tuesday.
A stagnant first half from both sides produced the only bit of quality in the 27th minute, with Marcelo's inch-perfect cross landing at the feet of Karim Benzema. The striker left zero doubts with his finish. Liverpool did nothing to respond. The club went a full 56 minutes without a single attempt.
With the result, Real Madrid have qualified for the Round of 16. Liverpool remain last in the group standings with two matches remaining.
Key Moment: Kolo Toure and Simon Mignolet didn't do enough to deny Marcelo's ball from reaching Benzema. Madrid's one moment of brilliance proved to be the difference.
Man of the Match: Marcelo's service is in a world of its own. The 26-year-old finished with an assist and four take-ons.
Lesson Learned: Liverpool had zero interest in Tuesday's visit to the Spanish capital. With an epic clash against Chelsea scheduled for the weekend, manager Brendan Rodgers left a full force of compliments on the bench. Neither Daniel Sturridge, Mario Balotelli, Steven Gerrard, nor Raheem Sterling featured in the starting XI. The club's play suffered as a result. The 1-0 loss was marginal, but with Real Madrid's lack of interest, the opportunity was there for the club to achieve a historic result.
Up Next: Both clubs return to league play on Nov. 8, with Real Madrid hosting Rayo Vallecano and Liverpool battling Chelsea at Anfield.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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