"Reminds me a bit of Haaland," "Premier League-bound" - Fans laud Benfica superstar Darwin Nunez for toying with Liverpool backline in UCL quarterfinal
Liverpool fans have shown their appreciation towards Benfica striker Darwin Nunez following the Reds' victory in the Champions League quarter-final.
The Premier League side were strong favorites to progress to the last four after their 3-1 triumph at the Estadio da Luz last week. They finished the job at Anfield following a thrilling encounter which eventually concluded with Liverpool winning 6-4 on aggregate.
Roberto Firmino's brace and a Ibrahima Konate goal sealed the victory for Jurgen Klopp's men. However, they found life a lot more difficult in front of the Kop than many would have anticipated.
#UCL
Goal n. 32 for Darwin Núñez this season. He’s prepared to leave in the summer, price tag around €75/80m and there’s a new agent now working to move him in June. 🔴🇺🇾 #UCL
Credit to Benfica as they refused €45m in January to keep Darwin.
And he’s still 22, not a detail. https://t.co/GZePGufvme
Benfica scored three times and had two more strikes disallowed. But it was their star forward Nunez who again made headlines after following up his goal in the first leg with another strike in the return fixture. The 22-year-old scored his 32nd goal of the season in 37 games.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Uruguayan international is set to leave the Lisbon club this summer for around €80 million. Earlier, the club rejected a £60 million offer from West Ham in January.
Following the pulsating European clash, Liverpool fans took to Twitter to heap praise on Nunez. Here are some of the best reactions:
• Job done.
• Not a great performance.
• Into the semi-final of the #UCL
• Vintage Firmino performance 2nd half.
• Tsimikas is brilliant.
• Diaz has to start on the weekend.
• Darwin Núñez is a baller.
Man City in the semi-final of the FA Cup next.
Darwin Nuñez just toyed with our defence all match. Our def so poor. Not often a team comes and scores 3 goal at Anfield. A few ruled offside too.
Darwin Nunez definitely won me over across the two games. Premier League bound as sure as anything.
Darwin Núñez is the first player to score six goals for Benfica in a single #UCL campaign:
⚽️⚽️ vs. Barcelona
⚽️⚽️ vs. Liverpool
⚽️ vs. Bayern
⚽️ vs. Ajax
Only European royalty. 👑 https://t.co/9NDWisgcHb
Some club will pay that Darwin Nunez fee and strike gold. What a player
Nunez impressed me tonight. Maybe I was wrong about him
I’m telling you that Nunez. Unreal
That Darwin Nunez reminds me a bit of Haaland, he would be a lovely signing in the summer for someone.
That Darwin Nunez knows how to finish doesn't he
Darwin Nunez attracting interest from all around Europe
According to The Metro, Darwin Nunez is a target for a number of big European clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal, and Atletico Madrid. The striker recently left his former agent Edgardo Lasalvia to join a close associate of superagent Jorge Mendes.
It's not hard to see why Nunez has become one of Europe's most wanted players, having been in sensational form ever since his arrival in Portugal in 2020. He is a quick, powerful and lethal attacker who predominately plays upfront, but also on the left wing.
Before the second leg, Liverpool boss Klopp admitted he was a huge admirer of Nunez, and not just for his football skills.
Klopp told a press conference, as per The Liverpool Echo:
“An extremely good looking boy, eh? He is a really good boy. He played in front of me battling against Konate. He was calm for the finish. He is good, really good. If he stays healthy, he has a big career ahead of him”.
"He's an extremely good-looking boy... and a decent player as well!" 😆
Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for Benfica's rising star Darwin Nunez ahead of their Champions League second-leg tie at Anfield ⚔️
https://t.co/tDf18bRiSf