Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk concedes Real Madrid were always in control last night.

The Reds' exit from the competition was confirmed with Karim Benzema's 78th-minute, second-leg winner at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu that took the aggregate score in the tie to 6-2.

Van Dijk told BT Sport afterwards, "I think if I'm honest the first half was quite even. It's always going to be a very difficult task to come here and turn it all around. But you try not to look ahead, you try to win obviously. In my time at Liverpool with the games we've played against Real Madrid, I've never won against them, so it's always something that we wanted to do – we wanted to win.

"I think we created some dangerous moments in the first half. They had a couple of shots from distance as well and obviously with the quality they have on the break, especially Benzema dropping in, Vinicius with the speed and obviously his quality. It could always be dangerous on the break. It was tough but I think the damage was done in Liverpool and that's the most disappointing thing."

On Real's winning experience, Van Dijk also said: "I think you play against a team who never get fazed a little bit. Even when you put them under pressure, even if [they] have difficult moments, they try to stay calm and obviously they have the players, if you look at Modric, Benzema – they're difference-makers and especially when they're under pressure.

"But still, I think in the first half we could have scored and it could be a totally different game. But today was definitely all about the small margins, and [in the] second half you try your absolute best and you just come too short."