Liverpool, playing at home, kicked off first.
Perhaps driven by the emotion of Anfield, Liverpool attacked immediately.
Firmino rolled the ball back to Fabinho in midfield, and Fabinho wasted no time moving it out to Alexander-Arnold, who had already pushed high on the right flank.
As Liverpool's homegrown prince, Alexander-Arnold was still only twenty-two years old, but his confidence on the ball was obvious.
He stopped the pass with his right foot.
The next instant, he crossed, giving no chance for Real Madrid's full-back to settle.
Bang!
The cross flashed into Madrid's six-yard box where Firmino was already waiting.
Just as the Brazilian forward prepared to attack the ball with a flying finish, Courtois suddenly charged off his line and punched it clear with one fist.
"Courtois comes out strongly!" Rob called. "That is decisive goalkeeping from the Belgian."
"He has to get there," Terry said. "Firmino is waiting behind him, and if Courtois hesitates for even half a second, Liverpool probably get a clean chance inside the six-yard box."
Before the danger had fully faded, the ball dropped to Modrić.
And in an instant, Madrid had the chance to counter.
Modrić lifted his head.
A flash later, his long pass had already found Benzema up front.
Near Liverpool's penalty area, Benzema brought the ball under control and did not bother with anything complicated.
He shifted his body and shot immediately.
Liverpool's defenders were half a step slow.
That was enough for the French striker.
Bang!
The ball shot through the gap between Matip and Van Dijk, flying heavily toward Alisson's goal.
But Alisson's reaction was just as sharp.
He threw himself sideways, stretching out both hands, and pushed the ball out over the byline.
A world-class save.
Anfield erupted at once!
Tens of thousands of Liverpool fans roared Alisson's name, as if he had already saved the night.
📱 @AnfieldPulse ✔
Alisson Becker. That is why he is world class. Benzema had already seen the net.
| ↳ 📱 @LFC_RedWall
| Reply: Massive save. We cannot let Madrid counter that easily again.
📱 @MadridWatchLive ✔
Modrić sees passes before anyone else even knows the space exists. That counter was almost perfect.
| ↳ 📱 @UCLMadridista
| Reply: Benzema did everything right there. Alisson just pulled out a ridiculous save.
...
But Liverpool's crisis had not been cleared.
Real Madrid had won a corner as Toni Kroos walked over to take it.
Every time Real Madrid won an attacking corner, Theodore would always move into the opponent's penalty area immediately, ready to attack the header.
Klopp knew Theodore's strengths too well.
So the moment Theodore appeared in the box, Liverpool's strongest defender, Van Dijk, stepped across to mark him personally.
As the most dominant center-back in world football at that moment, Van Dijk was probably the only defender Liverpool could truly trust against Theodore in the air.
Kroos raised his arm.
Then he delivered.
Bang!
The cross flew toward Liverpool's goalmouth.
Theodore had already launched himself into the air.
Van Dijk had both hands on Theodore's shoulders, trying to disturb his balance, delay his jump, and stop him from making clean contact.
But Theodore's reading of the ball was too precise.
He had already taken the position in advance.
The moment the ball dropped onto his forehead, all he needed to do was generate power.
Bang!
Even while being pulled and pressured by Van Dijk, Theodore still produced a violent header on goal.
The ball flew like a cannonball, flashing over Alisson's head and smashing into the net.
One-nil!
Real Madrid led at Anfield.
"Theodore Bjorn! Of course it's him!" Rob shouted. "Back in England, back on a Champions League night, and back among the goals!"
"That is frightening," Terry said. "Van Dijk does almost everything he can. He's tight, he's physical, he gets his hands on him, but Theodore's timing is perfect. Once he wins that first position, the header is unstoppable."
"Liverpool knew the danger," Rob added. "They prepared for it. They put Van Dijk on him. And still, Theodore finds the net."
Inside Anfield, the Liverpool fans did not look completely shocked.
It was almost as though they had expected Theodore to score sooner or later.
📱 @KopEndVoice ✔
Yep. Still the same Theodore. Give him one corner and he punishes you.
| ↳ 📱 @RedMerseyLad
| Reply: Van Dijk was all over him and it still didn't matter. That's the scary part.
📱 @LFCWatch ✔
Theodore against English clubs is basically inevitable at this point.
| ↳ 📱 @PremierLeagueMemory
| Reply: Villa fans warned everyone. We've seen this movie before.
📱 @MadridModeOn ✔
Premier League killer returns to England and scores within minutes. Scriptwriters didn't even try to hide it.
For most Liverpool fans, Theodore's individual ability was already painfully familiar.
Last season, he had broken through Liverpool's goal more than once. He was a proper Liverpool killer.
So when he scored, there was frustration, but not disbelief.
They had seen this before.
After the restart, Klopp immediately instructed Liverpool's players to increase the attacking pressure.
After all, Liverpool's goal tonight was revenge.
In the 13th minute, they finally produced a strong attacking move.
In midfield, Fabinho switched the play beautifully, sending the ball out to Salah on the right flank.
The moment Salah brought it under control, Ferland Mendy stepped forward sharply and closed him down.
But Salah was full of confidence.
The ball seemed glued to his left foot.
One second later, with a simple change of direction, Salah slipped past Mendy's pressure and broke into space.
Tonight, Ramos had not started and was waiting on the bench, which meant Salah had missed the chance to face the man from that painful 2018 final directly.
But that did not reduce his hunger.
Before long, Salah had broken into Real Madrid's penalty area.
Just when everyone thought he would shoot, he clipped the ball instead.
The pass floated toward the far post as Mané arrived at full speed.
The Senegalese winger did not choose to control it.
He struck it first time!
In a flash, the ball flew into the net.
1–1.
Liverpool had equalized!
"Mané! Liverpool are level!" Rob announced. "A wonderful move from the home side, and Anfield has its voice back!"
"That is brilliant from Salah," Terry said. "Everyone expects the shot, but he lifts the ball to the far post with real delicacy. Mané's movement is excellent, and the finish is clean."
"Liverpool needed that response," Rob added. "And they got it quickly."
The Anfield roar returned at full force.
📱 @AnfieldRedZone ✔
SADIOOOOO! That's the response! This is Anfield, Madrid!
| ↳ 📱 @SalahSeason
| Reply: Salah's pass was filthy. Everyone thought he was shooting.
📱 @LFC_Insider ✔
That goal is pure Liverpool. Fast switch, Salah magic, Mané arriving like a train.
| ↳ 📱 @KopFaithful
| Reply: Now press them. Don't let Theodore breathe.
...
But Real Madrid's players did not intend to settle for a draw.
Not long after the restart, Madrid's attack arrived again.
In the 20th minute, Theodore received a pass from Courtois inside his own half and immediately ran into pressure from Fabinho and Wijnaldum.
Both players were old opponents from Theodore's Premier League days.
They knew his strength very well.
In order to stop him from launching another attack, they rushed toward him together.
But at that critical moment, Theodore rolled the ball under his foot and turned.
It was the signature move of Real Madrid's own head coach during his playing days.
The Marseille Turn.
With one elegant spin, Theodore broke through Liverpool's first defensive line.
The Anfield crowd immediately sensed danger.
Everyone could feel it.
Theodore might score again.
And sure enough, he suddenly accelerated.
Like a streak of white lightning, he burst past Naby Keïta's attempt to block him.
Three seconds later, Theodore had already reached the top of Liverpool's penalty arc.
Van Dijk knew he had to close him down.
From that position, Theodore would shoot.
The Dutch center-back did not hesitate. He charged straight toward him.
Bang!
Van Dijk guessed correctly.
Theodore did shoot.
But he was still half a step late.
All he could do was watch the ball flash past him.
In an instant, the shot flew straight toward the far corner of Liverpool's goal.
Alisson looked at the ball flying into the net and shook his head helplessly.
He had already done everything he could.
The shot had too much power and the angle was too sharp.
All he could do was watch it go in.
"Oh, what a strike! Theodore again!" Rob cried. "Twenty-eight meters out, and he has just silenced Anfield!"
"That is outrageous," Terry said. "The Marseille Turn in his own half, the acceleration through midfield, and then the finish from distance. Liverpool get bodies near him, but nobody can actually stop him."
"Real Madrid are back in front," Rob added. "And Theodore Bjorn is putting on another Premier League reminder."
📱 @MadridistaHQ ✔
THEODORE FROM RANGE. That is disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: Marseille Turn, carry, top corner. That's not football, that's violence.
📱 @AnfieldPulse ✔
How do you even defend that? Fabinho and Wijnaldum were there. Van Dijk stepped out. Alisson saw it. Still goal.
| ↳ 📱 @NeutralUCLFan
| Reply: Sometimes the analysis is simple: Theodore is ridiculous.
📱 @VillaParkFaithful ✔
Premier League fans already knew. You don't give Theodore that lane. Ever.
Theodore's performance was not finished.
After the restart, Liverpool, playing at home, pushed forward aggressively.
Over the next ten minutes, Madrid's back line came under repeated pressure.
Salah attacked from the right.
Mané drove forward from the left.
The two Liverpool wingers kept breaking through from the flanks, dragging Madrid's defenders into uncomfortable positions.
But every time they were about to shoot, Theodore seemed to appear at the critical moment.
Blocking passing lanes.
Stepping into shooting angles.
Covering spaces that should not have been his to cover.
A proper wall of sighs.
His presence made even top wingers like Salah and Mané look dim by comparison.
In the blink of an eye, the match reached the 43rd minute.
As the first half drew close to its end, Real Madrid suddenly raised the tempo again.
By this point, Theodore had drifted toward the flank.
After Modrić controlled the ball in midfield, he instinctively passed it to Theodore.
After nearly an entire half, Liverpool's players had already developed a deep fear of him.
So the moment Theodore received the ball, several red shirts rushed toward him at once.
Klopp was trying to use numbers to stop him.
Alexander-Arnold.
Matip.
Naby Keïta.
Three Liverpool players appeared around Theodore, blocking the space in front and on both sides.
If this had been a year ago, Theodore might have tried to force his way through.
But now, he had become far more experienced.
He knew exactly how to punish pressure.
Bang!
He did not dribble, he lifted his head and struck a long pass into Liverpool's penalty area.
"Theodore clips it in behind!" Rob called. "All three Madrid forwards are arriving!"
"That is a gorgeous ball," Terry said. "He draws three Liverpool players toward him, then releases it before they can touch him."
The ball dropped in front of Benzema.
The Frenchman adjusted his body and struck it on the volley.
Alisson reacted.
But this time, he could not keep it out as the ball flew into the net.
3–1.
Real Madrid had a two-goal lead at Anfield!
"Benzema scores! Real Madrid have their third!" Rob announced. "And once again, Theodore is at the heart of it."
"It's the pass that makes the goal," Terry noted. "Liverpool crowd him, thinking they can stop the dribble, but Theodore doesn't even give them the duel. He picks the right pass, Benzema makes the run, and Madrid punish them ruthlessly."
📱 @MadridComps ✔
Theodore just took three Liverpool players out of the game with one pass. Benzema finish, 3–1. Beautiful.
| ↳ 📱 @UCLMadridista
| Reply: That's what makes him unfair. If you press him, he passes. If you stand off him, he shoots.
📱 @KopEndVoice ✔
We're getting pulled apart now. Every Madrid attack goes through Theodore and we still can't stop it.
| ↳ 📱 @LFC_RedWall
| Reply: Three players went to him and Benzema was free. That cannot happen.
Before long, the first half ended.
Across those forty-five minutes, Madrid had controlled the match's biggest moments.
Liverpool had scored through Mané, but that goal had come from a brilliant individual combination between Salah and Mané rather than sustained control.
After that, they struggled to create another chance of the same quality.
By contrast, Madrid repeatedly used Theodore's individual brilliance to tear holes in Liverpool's structure.
After the first half, the mentality of many Liverpool players had already begun to shake.
...
After the second half began, Liverpool launched the first attack.
But Real Madrid's midfield trio of Modrić, Theodore, and Kroos was simply too strong.
All three were technically excellent. All three could pass under pressure. All three understood how to combine, circulate possession, and slow the match down when needed.
On top of that, each of them had enough defensive awareness to help Madrid protect the center.
By contrast, Liverpool's midfield of Wijnaldum, Fabinho, and Naby Keïta was built more on work rate and physicality.
Technically, they could not truly compare with Madrid's midfield trio.
Before long, Madrid regained control of possession.
In the 56th minute, Madrid scored their fourth goal of the match.
Theodore broke through centrally, drawing three Liverpool players toward him once again.
Then, at the perfect moment, he slipped a deadly through ball forward.
The pass went straight through Naby Keïta's legs and into the box.
Vinícius arrived.
Facing his senior teammate from the Brazil national team, Alisson, the young winger curled his finish beautifully into the far corner.
4–1.
Real Madrid had almost killed the suspense of the match.
"Vinícius makes it four!" Rob announced. "And Real Madrid are running riot at Anfield!"
"Again, it's Theodore who opens the door," Terry said. "He carries the ball centrally, attracts the pressure, and then threads a perfect pass through the gap. Vinícius still has to finish it, and he does that brilliantly."
"Liverpool are in real trouble now," Rob added. "This could become a very long night."
In the Anfield stands, some Liverpool fans in red shirts had already begun leaving.
They could sense what might be coming.
A crushing defeat.
A European night that had started with revenge in the air was turning into another Theodore showcase.
📱 @AnfieldRedZone ✔
People are leaving already. At 4–1, can you blame them?
| ↳ 📱 @KopFaithful
| Reply: This hurts. We wanted revenge and got Theodore'd again.
📱 @MadridModeOn ✔
Anfield was supposed to be the trap. Turns out it was Theodore's stage.
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: Two goals, two assists, away at Liverpool. This is normal for him now.
📱 @GlobalFootyFeed ✔
Real Madrid are 4–1 up at Anfield. Theodore Bjorn has turned a Champions League quarterfinal into a personal highlight reel.
But five minutes later, the sky finally opened.
A torrential downpour suddenly fell over Anfield.
In an instant, the pitch became slick, the ball began skidding faster across the grass, and the match turned into a battle in the rain.