Wasteful Liverpool knocked out as Real Madrid book semi-final date with Chelsea

Real Madrid qualified for the Champions League semi-finals despite firing blanks in a 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Wednesday night.  The Spanish giants enjoyed a 3-1 lead from the first leg played at the Alfredo di Stefano last week, and held on to book a semi-final date with Chelsea. Liverpool started the match as expected, creating two goal-scoring chances in the opening five minutes, pinning the visitors in their own half. The first chance fell to Mohamed Salah after Sadio Mane's touch took a slight deflection but the ball fell to the Egyptian, only for Thibaut Courtois, who stuck out a big boot, to make a crucial save. Another good chance fell to the hosts in the 11th minute as Salah found James Milner with a simple ball, and the Englishman tried to bend it into the top corner from 25 yards but was denied by Courtois once again. Liverpool had a narrow escape in the 20th minute when Karim Benzema almost scored with their first real attempt on goal, but his deflected effort, which had beaten Alisson, ricocheted off the post before it was cleared. Jurgen Klopp's side almost took the lead with four minutes to go before the half-time whistle, but Salah once again failed to find the target after a nice ball from Giorgio Wijnaldum. The second period was an evenly balanced contest as Madrid came out to frustrate their hosts, limiting them to few clear-cut chances. Roberto Firmino was the first to test Courtois in goal from a tight angle, but just like the first half, the Belgian stood firm to make an important block. Liverpool however exposed themselves at the back as they went all out for the elusive goal, and Real Madrid should have found the net in the 66th minute, only for Alisson to make a double save to deny Vinicius and Benzema in quick succession. Both teams had half-chances to score, but none could find the back of the net as Zinedine Zidane's men qualified for yet another semi-final.