Champions League - Draw puts Liverpool in danger

Eurosport - Tue, 03 Nov 21:36:00 2009

Liverpool's Champions League hopes hang in the balance after a last-minute goal denied them a crucial Group E victory, their match in Lyon ending 1-1.

FOOTBALL Champions League Lyon's players celebrate a last-minute equaliser against Liverpool at Stade Gerland - 0

Lisandro Lopez cancelled out substitute Ryan Babel's late wonder-strike to give Lyon a second late goal in successive matches against the Reds.

A win would have put Liverpool three points behind group leaders Lyon and Fiorentina with two matches left.

But the late capitulation - a result of sloppy defending and a lucky rebound - leaves Rafael Benitez's side five points behind Fiorentina and six beyond Lyon, meaning they have to win their last two games, against Fiorentina and Debrecen, and hope Lyon do them a favour by beating the Italians in Florence.

The visitors were the better side on the balance of play and had several good chances to take the lead before Babel's opener, but they were denied by some poor finishing and very good goalkeeping from Hugo Lloris.

Liverpool started sluggishly with the pace of Bafetimbi Gomis and Lisandro causing them problems at the back.

Jamie Carragher, playing at right-back, enjoyed a tough duel with Aly Cissokho bombing down the left but the Reds, helped by injures that forced off Anthony Reveillere and Miralem Pjanic, grew into the game and created the best chances.

Les Gones were restricted to long-range efforts and speculative breaks but had few clear-cut opportunities, while Liverpool should have scored on at least two occasions.

On 12 minutes Fernando Torres fired at the legs of Lloris after Emiliano Insua's cross popped up at his feet only 12 yards out.

Sixteen minutes later, Andriy Voronin replicated the miss when he was sent clean through, with Lloris again rushing out well to block but helped by a weak finish.

Otherwise, Dirk Kuyt forced Lloris into action with a close-range poked finish that the France keeper acrobatically tipped over as Liverpool went in level at half-time but with their confidence buoyed.

The second half, while dominated territorially by Liverpool, was for the most part a dreary affair as Torres dropped deeper to exert more influence on the game while returning centre-half Daniel Agger played as a makeshift centre forward at times.

The first clear-cut opportunity came over halfway in, when a counter-attack led by unlikely creative outlet Agger saw Lucas Leiva force an excellent one-handed stop from Lloris, with Kuyt's acrobatic attempt to tuck away the rebound cleared easily by Cissokho.

Lyon regained their confidence and looked the more likely to snatch a winner, with a suicidal back-header from Sotirios Kyrgiakos blocked from the path of Lisandro by the quick-thinking Jose Reina.

Liverpool thought they had won the match when Babel, who has made clear his displeasure at being left on the bench for most of the past two seasons, cut inside from the left and fired an unstoppable drive into the top right.

It should have been enough. Benitez took off the tiring Torres for David N'Gog, while Babel had a good chance to double the lead but fired just wide.

And a now-typical moment of poor defending let Lyon snatch an equaliser they barely deserved.

With defender Cris confusing Liverpool's line by playing as a third forward, a hopeful high ball into the Reds' half saw Babel miss a header that sub Sidney Govou nodded towards the penalty area.

Agger was caught flat-footed and, inexplicably, Kyrgiakos went to ground on the edge of the box as he tried to clear.

The loose ball spun up to both Lisandro and Cris, and the former took a touch before clipping it over the onrushing Reina to seal the draw and secure Lyon's progress into the second round.

Reda Maher / Eurosport

Comment 372 - 391 of 391

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  1. how many english players in liverpool team last night ?­ only one ? why do u support this team from abroad ??

    From Grosjean, on Thu 5 Nov 9:32PM

  2. It seem like all the Man useless fans are back after­ hibernating following the 2-0 debacle at Anfield. Well,­ we only have a few days and they will disappear again­ as they get hammered by Chelsea on Sunday. Man Useless­ fans, talk to us when you get 5 champion league titles.­
    All the true fans know it was a good Red performance­ at Lyon except for the last minute goal. The team is­ getting better and is showing signs of that incredible­ form they were on at the end of last season. It will­ take getting most players healthy, confidence in some­ players and a few breaks here and there. Every team­ gets those breaks and it is not crazy to think that­ Lyon would tie Fiorentina. A win at Debrecen and we can­ beat Fiorentina by 3 goals at Anfield.­ Impossible..not…tough!! Yes, but crazier things have­ happened.
    The league is still open despite what the­ Man Useless fans think. Chelsea has a couple tough away­ games (Arsenal & Man city) coming up. They are­ likely to drop points. Reds just need to focus on the­ next game against B’ham on Monday and get maximum­ points.
    As Reds fans we stick with the team and you­ will never walk alone.

    From Gidy, on Thu 5 Nov 7:46PM

  3. Keep an eye on Lisandro. He's a great one. Lyon­ made good business... Come on Lyon!

    From Lionel, on Thu 5 Nov 5:58PM

  4. yes liverpools.out of champions league .yes ha ha ha

    From Derick, on Thu 5 Nov 5:20PM

  5. Did Lyon deserved the one point?
    Yes(thumbs up)­­
    No(thumbs down)

    From Kah Wai, on Thu 5 Nov 3:54PM

  6. I'm great fan of liverpool but i don't like­ rafa. so sack rafa. Liverpool doesnot need lucas,­ voronin, mascherano they are fu..............ing­ players. If these players and rafa are in liverpool,­ liverpool will win nothing. liverpool need to buy some­ star players like (villa, silva, augero ..............)

    From arun.basnet, on Thu 5 Nov 2:54PM

  7. Comment 392-Pistol Pete, you evidently don't get­ irony do you? Or, if you do, congratulations on a very­ comical statement even if it is factually well away­ from the truth. Although, judging by your follow up­ comment, I think the former is probably correct eh?

    From rbstax67, on Thu 5 Nov 2:35PM

  8. Liverpool deserved to win!come on Rafa!

    From sidney.moore, on Thu 5 Nov 1:07PM

  9. what brawls in a pub, has a fat spanish head and has a­ torrid time on the pitch?
    ANSWER:­ LOOSERPOOL.
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

    BEL pa­ zed

    From Brian, on Thu 5 Nov 12:54PM

  10. Don't you think that football is a funny old­ game?

    Liverpool are having probably the worst start to­ the season they have ever had and yet, by Monday night­ they will be only 4 points behind Man Utd (who will be­ in third place) and we know that they will have 3 more­ points off them when they go to Old Trafford.

    My end­ of season prediction:

    Arsenal
    Chelsea
    Liverpool
    Man­ Utd

    From Pistol Pete, on Thu 5 Nov 12:33PM

  11. I have been having a read through the comments on this­ site --- some very funny --- a lot of them very rude,­ to the point that I now think there are many morons­ doing nothing but making vicious comments on the site.­ Another thing I have noticed is that, considering this­ is a site giving a commentary about a Liverpool­ game....most of the comments are coming from people who­ believe they support Man Utd. I find this very strange;­ I know that most Man Utd 'supporters' don't­ even know where Manchester is let alone attending their­ games and, as such are insignificant, petty little­ people who's opinions don't matter to anyone. I­ think their time would be better spent doing something­ useful --- like learning how to spell --- like trying­ to trace who their fathers were --- like trying to­ discover how much money their mothers paid their­ estranged fathers etc etc. All these things would be­ better than sitting at home typing vicious comments on­ football sites with their left hand whilst potentially­ making themselves go blind by doing unsavoury things­ with their right hands.

    From Pistol Pete, on Thu 5 Nov 12:05PM

  12. 364 my god are all liverpool supporters as thick as you­ where do you come off saying liverpool where the best­ team last night you were already beaten by lyon in your­ own back yard and lyon only wanted a point last night­ and nearly played into liverpool hand by playing for a­ draw but when you scored it was obvious lyon had to­ score and so they duly did and quite easily too and if­ you cant face reality benitez and his cronies will­ bring you down even further but yes you are the best­ team in the worlds ha ha ha ha id say lyon must have­ been quaking in their boots last night look liverpool ­ have 4 points in the champions league because they­ deserve 4 points not because they were unlucky look­ where they are in the league that were they deserver to­ be and watch this space it looks worse and worse for­ liverpool out of the cl this year prob wpont qualify­ next year wow you think you got probs now wait till the­ lack of money kicks in from that and oh yes now your­ not as enticing to buy for these multi billionaires to­ come in because you were a great team but are on a­ slippy slope and it is hard to stop the slide

    From patrick_oconnor2001, on Thu 5 Nov 11:23AM

  13. Sorry Rich - my mistake ... got off into one for a­ minute there

    From liverfoolrcrap, on Thu 5 Nov 11:17AM

  14. what are the champions league knock out stages without­ liverpool? liverpool will def come out good in the last­ group matches.

    From emmanuel, on Thu 5 Nov 11:12AM

  15. what are the champions league knock out stages without­ liverpool? liverpool will def come out good in the last­ group matches.

    From emmanuel, on Thu 5 Nov 11:12AM

  16. what the champions league knock out stages without­ liverpool? liverpool will def come out good in the last­ group matches.

    From emmanuel, on Thu 5 Nov 11:12AM

  17. ref 381.
    Sorry mate you seem to have misenterperated my­ shanty - its not aimed at you, far from it. its aimed­ at the bin dippers.

    From Rich, on Thu 5 Nov 11:02AM

  18. 383.
    blizo. is that you? loserpools plz dont comment

    From Ten-Ten, on Thu 5 Nov 11:02AM

  19. you liverfool scoursers, this time you will walk alone.­ no champions league, no FA,
    no EP. all these titles­ will elude you. at the end of the season.. torres comes­ to
    MAN UNITED, gerrard goes to looserpool pub as a­ bouncer, and fat rafa goes to "faulty
    towers"­ as a waiter. MAN UNITED, YOU A DA BEEESIIITTT TEAM..­ liverfool a da worst
    @#$% in EPL.

    BEL pa zed

    From Brian, on Thu 5 Nov 10:53AM

  20. 2 Letters that Liverpool fans will be associated with­­ this season. H and A. HAHAHAHA.

    From Alien11, on Thu 5 Nov 10:37AM
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