UCL 2022-23: 'Vinicius is the most decisive player in the world' - Ancelotti after Madrid's Liverpool rout

UCL 2022-23: Real Madrid pummelled Liverpool 5-2 in Tuesday's opening leg of the pre-quarters. While Vinicius Junior played a crucial role in the win, club boss Carlo Ancelotti has called him "the most decisive player in the world".

Defending European champion Real Madrid brought in a storm with it at Anfield when it faced off against Liverpool in the opening leg of the pre-quarters of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League (UCL) on Tuesday. Despite the hosting going up 2-0, Vinicius Junior and Karm Benzema's brace did significant damage, as the visitors won 5-2, heading into Madrid's leg in three weeks.

The Reds were not precisely the favourites in this contest, and it looks improbable that they can bounce back at the Santiago Bernabéu. While Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has warned his counterpart manager not to breathe easy, Carlo Ancelotti was in awe of Vinicius. He labelled him as "the most decisive player in the world".

Talking to the media after the thumping win, Ancelotti articulated, "Today, in my opinion, he [Vinicious] is the most decisive player in world football. He doesn't stop. He dribbles, assists, and scores. Now, he is the most decisive. Hopefully, he can continue like this."

Analysing the victory, Ancelotti mentioned, "I only know that we have taken advantage in these 90 minutes, and we have to manage the 90 in Madrid well. Liverpool is a very competitive team, who have created many problems for us. Unfortunately, the tie has not ended."

"They are still a great team, in my opinion. They play with intensity and a very high pace. It isn't easy to see teams like that in Europe. They haven't changed, but we proposed a game plan different from the one in the final. Then we played with a low block, and our plan was very different this time," concluded Ancelotti, reports FotMob.