Liverpool Fends off Benfica, Advances to Champions League Semifinals

Liverpool have clinched a spot in the Champions League semifinals after a 6-4 aggregate win over Benfica.

The Premier League club built a 3-1 advantage in the first leg on the road and completed the quarterfinal victory with a 3-3 draw at Anfield.

Roberto Firmino tallied a second-half brace for Liverpool, putting him in rare territory for the historic club:

The consecutive tallies in the 55th and 65th minute gave the Reds a four-goal lead in the aggregate, which was seemingly enough to cruise into the next round.

Benfica fought back with a pair of goals to create drama down the stretch, but the late charge wasn't enough to overcome the massive deficit. 

Liverpool advances to the UCL semifinals for the first time since 2019 when they won the European title. They will face Villarreal on April 26 or 27 after the Spanish squad upset Bayern Munich in the quarterfinal.

Entering Wednesday's match with a two-goal advantage, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp opted to play several reserves in the starting XI while Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were among those on the bench.

The Reds still found a way to score early with Ibrahima Konate heading in a corner in the 21st minute:

Konate also scored in the first leg of this matchup, representing his only two goals in a Liverpool shirt.

Benfica still kept fighting, getting one back in the 32nd minute.

The ball took a fortunate bounce to Goncalo Ramos, but the forward took advantage with a strong finish to even the score at 1-1.

The score remained even through halftime, with Liverpool unable to pull away despite controlling most of the action. 

It took two goals from Firmino to finally provide some breathing room in the second half.

Diogo Jota and Konstantinos Tsimikas had excellent crosses to set up the goals while Firmino showcased impressive technique on the finishes.

Salah and Mane eventually came in the game for Liverpool with a 3-1 lead, although it was the visitors that proved dangerous on the attack in the closing minutes.

Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Nunez each scored goals that were initially waived off for offsides before being confirmed by VAR:

Nunez almost added another goal in stoppage time, but this time the offsides ruling remained.

It caused some nervy moments at Anfield, although Benfica couldn't complete the comeback as Liverpool closed out the win.

The squad now moves one step closer to a seventh European title while remaining alive in the FA Cup and the Premier League title race. Liverpool will face Manchester City on Saturday in the FA Cup semifinal.