Both Liverpool and Real Madrid took two-goal leads over the course of a seven-goal thriller in the first-leg of the Champions League last-16 at Anfield last night, with Los Blancos rallying to secure a commanding 5-2 victory.
In a night that began so promisingly for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, with goals from Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah racing the Reds into a two-goal lead over Real Madrid, to see all Liverpool backers in the Full Time Result market paid out, things quickly degenerated as the reigning champions mounted a stunning comeback.
As the latest of many Champions League classics to have been played out under the lights of Anfield, Liverpool must have thought it was to be another night of triumph in front of a roaring home crowd, as Nunez delicately flicked home a clever opener before Salah capitalised on a shocking blunder from Thibaut Courtois to send the Reds into an imposing 2-0 lead.
It took just seven minutes for Real to strike back, however, with Vinicius Junior dispatching a lovely strike underneath Alisson from inside the box, before Brazil's number one gifted his international teammate his second goal of the night 15 minutes later as he saw his pass out from the back blocked by the 22-year-old forward with the ball flying into the net.
Real Madrid's ability to level the tie after such a sloppy start appeared to give Carlo Ancelotti's men confidence as they came out for the second half, with Eder Militao heading the Spaniards into the lead just two minutes after the restart.
Karim Benzema's deflected strike gave Real a two-goal lead on the night, and Full Time Result backers of the La Liga side an early payout, before the latest recipient of the Ballon d'Or made it five with a sublimely taken goal to complete a night to forget for Liverpool who now face a mountain to climb at the Bernabeu in the second leg.
Liverpool's 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid is the latest fixture to activate our Early Payout Offer.
— bet365 (@bet365) February 22, 2023
Early Payout applies to singles, multiples and Bet Builders which will be marked as won within My Bets.
"Bet Builder Heaven"
It was not just a dramatic night inside Anfield, but also on the trading room floor at bet365.
bet365's Steve Freeth said: "Paying out on both Liverpool and Real Madrid before the hour mark left us with very little wriggle room!
"As well as the Early Payout Offer landing for both teams, a number of popular Bet Builder markets also proved successful on the night.
"It was Bet Builder heaven at Anfield with all the big players turning up with goals and assists," said Freeth.
"From Super Boosting Mo Salah and Karim Benzema to both have Over 0.5 Shots on Target from 4/5 to 7/4 to Nunez, Salah, Vinicius and Benzema all scoring at a price of 100/1, throw in an assist from Modric and a shot on target from Trent Alexander Arnold, and you get all your traders' worst nightmares at once."
Our Early Payout Offer landed for both Liverpool and Real Madrid backers on Tuesday.
— bet365 (@bet365) February 22, 2023
The below Bet Builder was settled as a winner despite Real Madrid's 5-2 win.
Early Payout applies to singles, multiples and Bet Builders which will be marked as won within My Bets.
Latest Selected Champions League Outright odds:
Man City - 2/1
Bayern Munich - 7/2
Real Madrid - 6/1
Napoli - 6/1
PSG - 20/1
Chelsea - 20/1
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