—- Champions League leaders Liverpool maintained their 100pc with a 1-0 win at Girona while holders Real Madrid regained their form with an entertaining 3-2 win away to Atalanta in Italy.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool have 18 points while Girona are at the opposite end of the table after their fifth defeat of the competition. However the hosts made Liverpool work for the victory and in the opening half had chances to take the lead but were foiled by the visitors’ keeper Alisson.
Liverpool struggled against a side happy to sit back and bide their time, but found the breakthrough from the penalty spot with Salah converting in the 63rd minute after Luis Diaz was fouled.
Girona were pinned back in the opening minutes by Liverpool’s pressure, with the visitors creating two early chances.
Defender Joe Gomez was denied his first goal for Liverpool by a reaction save from Paulo Gazzaniga from a close-range header, with the keeper also saving a shot from Darwin Nunez minutes later.
Girona, with every player behind the ball, were happy to break on the counter-attack and Liverpool keeper Alisson, making his first appearance since early October after a hamstring injury, was soon called into action.
Daley Blind completely missed a cross on the edge of the six-yard box but the ball fell to Alejandro Frances and Alisson held his effort at the second attempt, and later punched away a shot from Miguel Gutierrez.
Alisson was again involved in the opening seconds of the second half, saving from Arnaut Danjuma and Liverpool struggled to break down a stubborn Girona defence before a Donny van de Beek foul on Diaz gave Salah his chance from the spot.
Salah missed a penalty in Liverpool’s last Champions League game against Real Madrid, but made no mistake this time sending the keeper the wrong way and the ball into the bottom corner.
**Madrid snap back**
In Italy, holders Real Madrid claimed a much-needed 3-2 win at Atalanta as goals from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham ended a two-game loosing run in the competition.
Real handed the Serie A leaders their first defeat in this season’s revamped Champions League after Mbappe gave them the lead with a strike from inside the box in the 10th minute before he was forced off with an injury.
Charles de Ketelaere equalised with a penalty after Aurelien Tchouameni tripped Sead Kolasinac from behind just before the break but Vinicius Jr stroked home a rebound in the 56th minute to put the visitors back in front.
Bellingham extended their lead after a counter attack three minutes later but Ademola Lookman reduced the deficit in the 65th before Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois worked his magic with a string of saves to secure a hard-fought win.
With two games left, Real are 18th in the 36-team table on nine points, three points off the top eight spots which secure direct qualification to the last 16. Atalanta are ninth on 11 points.
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