Just around the corner from the Plaza Mayor, where Liverpool fans sat in cafes soaking up the sun, a line of several hundred people stretched down Calle De Atocha towards the striking neo-Gothic church of Santa Cruz on Wednesday in the afternoon. They had come to see the statue of San Judas Tadeo, which resides there, and to put their hands on it for good luck.
The church was packed with parishioners. Outside, street vendors hawked images of the saint. ‘Patron of impossible, lost and desperate causes’, said a sign next to some jewels. ‘Place the bracelet on your right hand, fervently thinking of your request.’
Wednesday is the favorite day to petition San Judas Tadeo, apparently. There did not appear to be any Liverpool supporters in line. It was hard not to feel like they were missing a trick.
After all, the talk for the last three weeks had been about lost causes. It was about how Liverpool needed a miracle at the Estadio Bernabéu to overcome a 5-2 deficit from their Champions League round of 16 first leg at Anfield.
The thought of scoring four at the champions’ home seemed an impossible task even if Liverpool had the memory of past blows in this competition to fuel their hopes.
Karim Benzema scored the only goal of the game when his late second-half strike put an equalizer out of Liverpool’s reach.
Real Madrid celebrated their safe passage to the quarterfinals of the Champions League thanks to a simple shot from their star striker (left)
Real Madrid continues in its fight to retain the Champions League after eliminating Liverpool from the competition on Wednesday
And so there were many memories of Istanbul and the miracle that happened there in 2005, the three-goal comeback against AC Milan, the astonishing and otherworldly save by Jerzy Dudek at the end of the game that denied Andriy Shevchenko, the feeling that sometimes At sporting events, they say it was written in the stars that Liverpool would win that night.
There was also the Anfield miracle on May 7, 2019, the night Liverpool outscored Lionel Messi and Barcelona by four goals in the second leg of a Champions League semi-final to overcome a 3-3 deficit. 0 in the first leg. Remember, too, the magic that crackled in the stadium that night, the way Trent Alexander-Arnold tricked the Barcelona defense by faking walking away from a corner before the decisive goal. Liverpool invoked almost every footballing miracle they could think of.
In the end none of that mattered, neither San Judas Tadeo and his lost causes, nor all those memories of past liberations. This was not one of those nights. All the great comebacks in the competition have been achieved by the home team in the second leg and Liverpool were never able to muster the intensity they needed at the Bernabéu. His chances of victory were blown away by the breeze of a balmy afternoon.
Perhaps your requests were not fervent enough. More pertinently, Madrid was too good. Too good at Anfield and too good last night. Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Eduardo Camavinga ran in midfield last night and their infinite class and elegance kept Liverpool at arm’s length. Liverpool had chances, but never really put a glove on their opponents. When Karim Benzema conceded the only goal of the night with 12 minutes remaining to put an equalizer out of reach on aggregate at 6-2, it was what Madrid deserved.
Perhaps Liverpool have exhausted their share of miracles in the last 20 years. Now all that remains is the hard fight to be in the top four of the Premier League and try to qualify for the Champions League next season. They are six points behind Spurs, who occupy the last of those places, so it will not be easy. For Madrid, another chance to win another Champions League trophy looms.
Jurgen Klopp had said that Liverpool had a one in a hundred chance of reaching the last eight and if the odds were against them anyway, they were further lengthened when captain Jordan Henderson fell ill and did not make the trip to Madrid. Stefan Bajcetic, who has provided so much vitality when more established stars have struggled this season, was also ruled out with a stress fracture. James Milner and Fabinho, workhorses of many campaigns, started in his place.
Liverpool had their first chance seven minutes into the game when Antonio Rudiger let Dani Carvajal’s loose pass go over his head and into the path of Mo Salah. Salah’s first drive towards goal was blocked by a defender, but then the Egypt striker brought on Darwin Nunez. Nunez scored the shot from him, but Thibault Courtois blocked it with his legs and it bounced to safety.
However, it was Madrid who looked the best in the first 20 minutes and Liverpool thanked Alisson for a magnificent reaction that saved Vinicius Jr from point-blank range. Diogo Jota should have done better with a volley that missed but Madrid took advantage of the clearer chances that Karim Benzema wasted. A shot from Eduardo Camavinga from outside the area went past Alisson but he went wide in front of the crossbar.
However, when there was no breakthrough, local fans grew restless. Liverpool felt the change in mood and almost took the lead 12 minutes before half time. Núñez, who had just directed a free header directly at Courtois, cut from the left and finished off to the bottom of the squad. It was an arrow inside the post until the Belgian keeper quickly ducked to the left of him and deflected the ball around the post.
Madrid should have put the equalizer out of reach seven minutes into the second half when Benzema placed Federico Valverde behind the Liverpool defence, but could only meekly push his shot past Alisson. He did better in the middle of the half when he got up to find a cross from Luka Modric, but his header missed the crossbar.
Madrid began to turn on the style now that security was closing in. Vinicius Jr was once again superb on the left and 20 minutes from time he cut back from the left and drilled a precise pass to Benzema on the edge of the box. The ball came at him fast and in the box, but Benzema controlled it perfectly and shot too high.
Liverpool spent as much time trying to prevent Madrid’s lead from increasing as trying to reduce it. Carlo Ancelotti’s side were too good, too smart, too dangerous to give Liverpool anything more than a brief glimpse of a comeback. Benzema’s goal, after a pass from Vinicius Jr, only confirmed the inevitable. Liverpool came out of the competition without spilling blood.
Those Liverpool fans basking in the afternoon sun in the Plaza Mayor didn’t know it, but sadly, sitting a few hundred meters from the statue of San Judas Tadeo was the closest they got to a miracle all day.