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Liverpool survive late scare against gallant Benfica to book Villarreal semi-final

Liverpool survived a late scare from a gallant Benfica to secure their place in the Champions League semi-finals.

The second leg at Anfield finished 3-3 and 6-4 in favour of the Reds on aggregate.

Having established a 3-1 lead in Lisbon, Liverpool extended their advantage with Ibrahima Konate's powerful header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner after 21 minutes.

Goncalo Ramos equalised before half-time with an excellent turn and finish, only for Roberto Firmino to restore Liverpool's lead with a simple tap-in ten minutes after half-time.

The Brazilian then doubled his tally shortly after with a splendid volley.

But Benfica fought back into the game with two more goals.

Roman Yaremchuk broke through the defence before beating Alisson, then Darwin Nunez popped up to equalise with nine minutes remaining.

Had Uruguay star Nunez not been denied by Alisson shortly after, Benfica must have fancied themselves to secure extra-time.

However, Liverpool held on to secure a meeting with a dangerous Villarreal side who have eliminated Bayern Munich and Juventus on their way to the semis.

The first leg will be played on 27 April before the return fixture in Spain on 4 May.

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Freddie Taylor

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