Madrid beats Liverpool 3-1 in 1st leg of CL quarterfinals

MADRID -- — Vinícius Júnior scored a goal in each half as Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Marco Asensio also scored for Madrid, which took full advantage of Liverpool's defensive blunders in the first half to take a commanding lead ahead of the second leg in England.

Mohamed Salah netted the lone goal for Liverpool early in the second half before Vinícius Júnior sealed the victory for the hosts.

The game was a rematch of the 2018 Champions League final won by Madrid, which since then was eliminated in the tournament’s round of 16 two years in a row. Liverpool won the title following the loss to Madrid but was also eliminated in the round of 16 last season.

------

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP--Sports

------

Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni