- Vinicius scored twice in Madrid's 5-2 win
- Ancelotti hailed his 'incredible' performance
- Believes the tie 'isn't over' yet
WHAT HAPPENED? The 22-year-old inspired another famous comeback after Real Madrid fell 2-0 behind within the first 14 minutes at Anfield as he fired in two goals to level the scoreline before the break. He was also a constant threat in the second half and even set up Karim Benzema for Madrid's fifth goal to cap off a brilliant night for the reigning European champions. Ancelotti was full of praise for Vinicius after the game and credited the Brazilian for lifting Madrid when they needed it most.
WHAT THEY SAID: "Vinicius is the most decisive player in the world," the Madrid boss told reporters. "There is no other player like him right now. He doesn't stop dribbling, shooting. I hope he can maintain this level. Winning like this isn't easy, above all because of how the match began. We never lost confidence and little by little we won control of the ball. We were efficient up front and Vinicius produced an incredible performance."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Although Madrid now boast of having a three-goal advantage ahead of the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie, Ancelotti is taking nothing for granted and believes that Liverpool will make them "suffer" at Santiago Bernabeu. He added: "This is only the first part of a knockout tie. It's gone our way, but we'll need to imagine that in the second leg we'll have to suffer and work hard. Liverpool is a great team which made us suffer in the first half so I'd say that, unfortunately, this tie isn't finished. No way."
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID? Ancelotti will hope his side can keep up the same level of performance in a derby clash against Atletico Madrid on Saturday in La Liga.