UEFA Champions League, Liverpool beat Villarreal 2-0: Records broken
What's the story
Two second-half goals saw Liverpool earn a crucial win in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg versus Villarreal at Anfield. The Reds will take a vital advantage to Spain next. An own goal by Pervis Estupinan in the 53rd minute, followed by Sadio Mane's effort two minutes later, saw Liverpool claim victory in a game they dominated throughout.
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How did the match pan out?
Villarreal showed resilience in the first half, holding Jurgen Klopp's men to a 0-0 affair. Thiago Alcantara came close by hitting the post with a 20-yard strike. In the second half, Jordan Henderson's cross deflected off Estupinan as the ball beat the Villarreal keeper. Mane scored a quick-fire goal next, collecting Mohamed Salah's through ball. Liverpool had several other chances but Villarreal held on.
Sadio Mane
Mane attains these feats
As per Opta, Mane netted his 14th goal in the Champions League knockout stages, equaling Didier Drobga's record as the African with the most such goals in the competition's history. Mane has 20 goals in all competitions for the Reds this season. He has 117 goals in total for Liverpool, scoring 20-plus goals in a season for the fourth time.
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Mane surpasses Ronaldo, Lewandowski with this tally
As per William Hill, Mane has the second-highest number of UCL goals in the knockout stages since 2017-18. Here are the top scorers: 16 - Karim Benzema, 14 - Mane, 13 - Cristiano Ronaldo, 13 - Robert Lewandowski, 12 - Lionel Messi, 11 - Salah
Twitter Post
Mane opens a gap
🔴 Top scorers in the knockout stages for Liverpool (UCL era only):
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 27, 2022
⚽️1⃣4⃣ Sadio Mané
⚽️1⃣1⃣ Mohamed Salah
⚽️1⃣0⃣ Roberto Firmino
⚽️0⃣6⃣ Steven Gerrard
⚽️0⃣5⃣ Dirk Kuyt
⚽️0⃣5⃣ Luis García
⚽️0⃣5⃣ Fernando Torres #UCL pic.twitter.com/T4pMWm3WYj
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Salah and Mane combine for this feat
As per Opta, Salah has provided seven assists for Liverpool team-mate Mane in the Champions League. Since 2017-18, no other player has made for another during this period in the competition (Neymar with seven for Kylian Mbappe).