Liverpool kept their 100% record in Champions League Group B after winning 3-2 in a thrilling match away in Madrid. The two teams have an exciting history in the tournament, with the game usually ending with surprise results. On many occasions, it has become a challenging match for sports betting fans to wager on this match as the match usually has fine margins. Moreover, the two managers are master tacticians, and they usually use this occasion to outwit each other.
The game was a fantastic spectacle for football fans worldwide. Its tempo was relentless, and incidents were countless. As any Champions League betting fans on Betway would have predicted, none other than Mo Salah opened the scoring before Naby Keita volleyed home to give The Reds a 2-0 goal advantage. Surprisingly, the two goals were scored by the 13th minute against a team that’s usually very disciplined defensively.
However, Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid turned things around as they settled into the game. Antoine Griezmann’s double put the Spanish giants level. One goal was a nudge in from Koke’s shot and the second was an accurate angled drive.
In the early stages of the second half, Griezmann was sent off, giving the visiting team an edge. As a result, 12 minutes before full-time, Salah was at it again, scoring a low penalty to give the Reds a narrow lead.
The drama was not over as Atletico almost had a penalty of their own, but the VAR helped the referee to reverse his decision. After the match, Liverpool are sitting comfortably on top of Group B, five points clear of Atletico Madrid and Porto.
Liverpool started the match confidently, dominating possession in the Spanish capital. Their dominance paid off as they got the first goal in the 8th minute. Salah recycled Andy Robertson’s deep cross before skipping past several challenges towards the edge of the box to find a shooting angle. Even though Milner’s touch seemed to have put the ball beyond Jan Oblak, UEFA officially awarded the goal to the Egyptian striker.
That goal made Salah the first Liverpool player to score in 9 consecutive games in all competitions. Keita hit another superb first-time volley as he imperiously moved onto Felipe’s clearance, slamming his shot inside the right-hand post from 20 yards.
Atletico fought their way back into the match, and Trent Alexander-Arnold had to stretch fully to hook away Griezmann’s sweeping cross. However, the resulting corner saw Thomas Lemar escape Keita to attack the byline in a series of moves that led to Griezmann’s goal.
The French forward later wasted a golden opportunity when he could not beat the Liverpool keeper in a one-on-one situation. However, at 34 minutes, he made amends for his miss with his second goal of the match.
Klopp made a tactical change introducing Fabinho in Keita’s place. Atletico continued from where they left off in the first half, and Alison had to make some brilliant saves to keep Liverpool in the game. However, they had to change their approach after Griezmann received a straight red card for his challenge on Firmino.
Liverpool introduced Diogo Jota and James Milner as Klopp planned to take advantage of their numerical advantage. At this point, sports bettors on Betway would have put their money on Liverpool winning the match.
Atletico conceded a 78th-minute penalty that decided the fate of the match. Mo Salah stepped up to seal the win for the Reds. They are now top of Group B with 9 points.