Kroos was named on the bench for the first leg as Ancelotti went with a midfield three of Modric, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde. After Liverpool made a fast start to the match and went 2-0 up, Real rallied to blow Jurgen Klopp's side away.

Vinicius Junior ripped Liverpool's defence apart to level things up before the break and Real took full control in the second half. Eder Militao gave Real the lead just after the restart with Karim Benzema scoring twice to give his side a commanding aggregate lead.

The second leg will be played on March 15 at the Bernabeu with FC Sheriff the last team to beat Real in Europe at their home stadium 18 months ago.