While You Were Asleep: Real Madrid beat Liverpool 6-2 on aggregate, Napoli move into CL quarters, Southampton stay in relegation zone

Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League after losing 6-2 on aggregate to Real Madrid.
Liverpool never really came close to overcoming its three-goal deficit from the first leg against the titleholders at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to end its hopes of another run to the final.
Karim Benzema scored late and Madrid advanced to the last eight for the third straight season. Benzema scored from close range after a pass Vinicius Junior in the 79th minute.

👍 Your 👍@Benzema | #UCL pic.twitter.com/FMIDYCTJMh
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 15, 2023
“You needed a special performance and we didn’t show a special performance,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said.
“In moments, it was a good performance, but Real Madrid was the team in control the whole game. Madrid was the better team and deserved to advance.”

🎙️ @MrAncelotti: “It was a good match. We played a complete match. It could have been tricky. The team started well, had clear ideas, was serious and we finished well.”#UCL pic.twitter.com/aahnJVUxvC
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 15, 2023
“It was the type of match we wanted,” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
“It was difficult for them to press up front. The team played well, it was focused from the start.”
Madrid, which had beaten Liverpool in last year’s final, played in its 300th Champions League game.
Napoli defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0
Napoli defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the other round-of-16 match to join Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester City in the draw for the quarterfinals on Friday.
Napoli are 18 points clear in Serie A and this was another comprehensive victory.

✨ ✨
💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/E4m9LMprze
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) March 15, 2023
Victor Osimhen continued his fine scoring record with a goal in each half and Piotr Zielinski converted a penalty in the second half as Napoli advanced 5-0 on aggregate.
Osimhen took his tally to 23 goals this season.
It is the first time since 2006 that three Italian teams have progressed to the quarterfinals of Europe’s premier club competition.
“It’s amazing to make hory with this win, I’m happy to score two goals,” Osimhen said.

✍️ We’re rewriting hory… and the dream continues!
💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/K9RUvqVIvr
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) March 15, 2023
“We want to keep on going like this, it’s beautiful to advance in this competition.
“I think I did a great game. The whole team did a great match against a very good team. We want to go on like this.”
Brentford beat Southampton
Southampton missed a chance to move out of the Premier League’s relegation zone losing 2-0 at home to Brentford on Wednesday.
Ivan Toney scored one goal and set up the other for Yoane Wissa to maintain Brentford’s chances of qualifying for European competition.

Toney poked the ball home at the back post after a flick-on at a 32nd-minute corner for his 16th goal of the campaign in a game of few clear-cut chances. Wissa wrapped up the points in second-half stoppage time after running onto Toney’s header.

Toney is still waiting for a Football Association verdict after being charged with 262 breaches of FA gambling rules, with a lengthy suspension possible.
Brentford climbed to eighth place, three points off fifth-place Newcastle.