Sadio Mane equals Cristiano Ronaldo's record after reacting to Benfica's goal
Sadio Mane is a well-known big-game player for Liverpool and Senegal, and his goal against Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday night added to his illustrious company.
With his goal against Benfica on Tuesday night, Sadio Mane equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League record.
The Senegal forward scored a tap-in after a brilliant set-up by Luis Diaz to put the Reds up 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon. Darwin Nunez gave Portugal a lifeline shortly after the break, but Liverpool held on as Luis Diaz restored their two-goal lead near the end.
The Merseyside club is now in pole position to win the Premier League as Mane emerged as one of the night's standout performers. The winger is a well-known big-game player, most recently for Senegal when he scored the game-winning penalty against Egypt to win AFCON, as well as sending his country to the World Cup with another crucial penalty, this time against Mohamed Salah and co.
And that narrative continues at the club level, as his goal tonight was his 13th in the Champions League knockout stages since the 2017/18 season, a feat only matched by Cristiano Ronaldo.
"Like I always say, winning is more important," he said of his goal to BT Sport. I'm glad I scored the goal, but I'm even happier that the team scored three goals and we won.
Liverpool will face Manchester City in a match that could decide the Premier League title race. Mane was named to the starting lineup in place of Diogo Jota, while Luis Diaz returned to the squad.
When asked what changes he plans to make at the Etihad, Klopp replied, "You'll have to ask the boss!" We are Liverpool, and we have a strong squad. We occasionally make changes for the benefit of the entire team. Yes, but it's a good start. We can't hope for anything better. Now we're getting ready for the next game."
Owen believes Klopp was simply rotating his squad and that Jota will return to the starting lineup against Manchester City on Sunday. "Well, Jota played the last game, and I believe Jota will play the next game," he explained, so he’s gone with Diaz tonight.
"It's probably easy to let Jota miss out on tonight's festivities. Diaz did not play in the previous game, so you must play him. Mo Salah just plays all the games, and he'll be upset if you drop him."
Owen believes Salah will start alongside Jota at the Etihad, with the final spot in Liverpool's front three up for grabs between Roberto Firmino, David Diaz, and Sadio Mane. "I think Mo Salah will play on Sunday as well, and Jota looks like he'll play as well, so it's a question of who will play in that third spot," he added. This team is still extremely powerful for tonight. Their opponents will be thinking 'oh no' as they look at the team sheet. There are some huge ones.
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