Liverpool’s effort to retain the Champions League trophy wasn’t successful and the Reds were knocked out of the competition by Atlético Madrid on Wednesday.
After a 1-0 defeat from the first leg in Spain, Georginio Wijnaldum’s first half goal at Anfield gave the Merseyside club a chance to stay in the competition.
Roberto Firmino put Jürgen Klopp’s side in front in the extra time, but a brace from Marcos Llorente, followed by Álvaro Morata’s late strike, helped the La Liga side to seal a berth in the quarterfinals.
Virgil van Dijk shared his views on Liverpool’s Champions League elimination with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.
“Of course, we are disappointed because we have been eliminated. Based on the first 95 minutes, we deserved to continue,” the defender said.
“Then they score the goal they need. That is a heavy blow. But it happens. We have to move on.
“We were dominant, created many opportunities. Oblak was great, of course. But you also have to be able to deal with that.
“We prepared very well, analysed Atlético, watched their matches. We also looked at the things that were wrong from the first leg. Ultimately it is about the match and the mentality that you put in the match. That had to be much better.”
Adrián’s unintended pass to João Felix allowed Llorente to score his first goal in extra time. The Netherlands international, however, has refused to blame the Liverpool goalkeeper.
“We lose together, we win together. Such things simply happen,” he explained.
“I think it was a fantastic match to watch. Very intense, everything happened.
“You want to stay in the Champions League. Nobody wants to lose, but there are also things in life that are much more important. Losing is ultimately just losing. Whether I am referring to the Coronavirus? Yes. I hope they get it under control soon. I have no influence on that.”
After enjoying a good run for the majority of the season, Liverpool have hit a rough patch after the first leg defeat to Atlético in February.
They have won only two of their last six matches played in all competitions. This includes the FA Cup elimination at the hands of Chelsea and a defeat against Watford, which ended their unbeaten run in the league.
“People forget what’s going on here all season. They only watch the last matches. Then you don’t win once and it would be another bad season. Anyway, that’s the reality,” Van Dijk stressed.
“We are also not satisfied with the results of the past weeks. But we played an excellent game against Atlético.
“If you are 25 points ahead of Manchester City, you can never speak of a bad season. But there are enough things to improve next year.”
