Kamis, 27 November 2008
Benitez milestone marred by concerns
Steven Gerrard's first-half goal, on his return from injury, proved enough to deliver a 1-0 win over Marseille at Anfield on Wednesday evening that ensured the Reds will join Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the competition.
It was also a night to remember for Liverpool's manager. Benitez's 66th European match in charge of the club saw him eclipse Bill Shankly's record, while a 39th victory on the European stage saw him draw level with Bob Paisley on that count.
But the Spaniard acknowledged that his side had not been at their best and had lived dangerously at times, as Marseille pressed in search of an equaliser that would have kept their own campaign alive. The French side's commitment to attack ensured an open contest, but Liverpool failed to display their usual cutting edge on the counter-attack with the final ball designed to release Fernando Torres repeatedly mislaid.
Worryingly for Benitez, Wednesday's performance had echoes of the below-par display in Saturday's goalless draw with Fulham which cost his side the chance to pull clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League. "Clearly we need to improve our possession, to keep and pass the ball better," Benitez said. "We are giving the ball away too easily."
Gerrard, who has now scored five goals in his five Champions League appearances this season, also admitted it had been a frustrating night for a squad that appears to have gone off the boil since their victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge a month ago.
"It was a nervy match but still a job well done," said the Liverpool captain. "We wanted all three points and a clean sheet and we got both of those, but it was a frustrating second half for us. We lost control a bit and there are a few things that need looking at. They are organised and fighting to stay in the competition. We knew that it would be a difficult tie, but we stuck together and hopefully in a few days the second-half performance will be forgotten."
After a two-week lay-off, Gerrard returned at the expense of Robbie Keane and revelled playing in the slipstream of Torres. "Playing behind Fernando is great for me," Gerrard said. "His runs are great. Tonight I scored the goal but I'm sure if the manager keeps playing us together I will provide him with a few."
Gerrard's deployment in an attacking role allows Xabi Alonso to pull the strings in midfield, and it was the Spaniard's well-judged cross that allowed Gerrard to steal in unchallenged at the back post to head Liverpool's winner mid-way through the first half.
Marseille had a string of chances after the break but could not quite manage to find the final pass or moment of inspiration that would have delivered an equaliser. "We'll have a few regrets because we had chances up to the last minute, but the only thing that makes me unhappy was the result," said Marseille coach Erik Gerets. "I was quite happy with the performance. For the first time in a long time, we played as a unit and with the kind of desire that everyone said we were missing."
Marseille will now aim to take something from their final match, at home to Atletico, to ensure they edge out PSV Eindhoven for third place in the group and a spot in the UEFA Cup. Ultimately it was the sloppy marking that allowed Gerrard to score that snuffed out Marseille's last chance of progress to the last 16. But Gerets' men could also count themselves unfortunate not to have enjoyed the breaks that would have enabled them to take something from the match.
Wenger: This is the first step
Arsene Wenger has expressed delight and relief following his Arsenal side's last-gasp win over Dynamo Kiev in the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners qualified from Group G with a match to spare thanks to Nicklas Bendtner's late goal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
But after three defeats in four matches, the storm of controversy generated by William Gallas's rant against his team-mates and the France defender's subsequent replacement as captain by Cesc Fabregas, Wenger was more concerned with the positive effect on the team's morale.
With Dynamo just three minutes from holding on for a point that would have left Arsenal without a goal for three games and looking as bereft of inspiration as they ever have under Wenger, Fabregas launched a sublime pass to Bendtner, who lashed his shot past Stanislav Bogush. As Wenger celebrated the goal, he saw not only a chance for Arsenal to extend their European campaign, but a cathartic moment for his players.
"It is the first step for us. What the team needs is reassurance and at least we have that now," he said. "We left it late and we were more steady than spectacular, but it was important to come back and win. Nicklas scored a great goal. It was not handball as Kiev claimed. You can watch it on the replay. It was a fantastic ball from Fabregas, good composure and a good finish. I am very happy for him because I felt he had showed a lack of confidence recently."
Wenger's decision to restore Gallas to the starting line-up so soon after his outburst was just about vindicated despite some shaky moments from the France defender. More significantly, Fabregas made a positive impression in his first game as skipper.
"Cesc was very good for me. He was focused for 90 minutes, worked hard defensively and offensively. It wasn't easy in midfield. Overall he had a very good game. William's focus was great. He wanted to do well and you could see he was completely committed. I was very happy that the fans responded in a positive way to him."
Now that Arsenal's progress is assured, Wenger will turn his attention to hauling his side back into the Premier League title race. It would take a remarkable run of results to make up the ten-point deficit to leaders Chelsea, but the Gunners have the perfect chance to put a dent into that gap when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Wenger is keeping his fingers crossed that he can take a more experienced team across London than the youthful eleven that eventually saw off Dynamo. He said: "Before the Dynamo game we had nine injured players. We have three, Sagna, Nasri and Adebayor, who we hope will play on Sunday. All three are 50-50."
Judging by this display, Wenger will need all the options he can get to win at the Bridge. Gallas's woeful week nearly took a turn for the worse when his under-hit backpass let in Ismael Bangoura, but he could breathe again as the striker's effort cannoned back off the near post. And Gallas was the fall guy again early in the second half, when Robin van Persie's shot appeared to be creeping in until Gallas inadvertently blocked it.
Just as Arsenal looked to have run out of ideas, Fabregas provided the moment of inspiration they had been lacking with a superb long pass that picked out Bendtner and allowed the substitute to gallop clear and break the deadlock.
That triggered a Dynamo meltdown, and Olexandr Aliyev was sent off after shoving referee Alain Hamer while trying to take a quick free-kick. "We were more or less equal with Arsenal and we played well, but the result is what counts," Dynamo coach Yuri Semin said.
Arsenal follow Cesc's lead
Cesc Fabregas led by example as Arsenal booked their place in the UEFA Champions League second round with a 1-0 win against Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday. Just 24 hours after being installed as Arsenal's new skipper in place of William Gallas, the Spanish midfielder showed how to inspire a team with a typically sublime pass for Nicklas Bendtner's late winner at the Emirates Stadium.
For long periods, Arsenal looked as lacklustre as they had done recently under Gallas's captaincy, but Fabregas took the game by the scruff of the neck to ensure Arsene Wenger's side can look forward to playing in the knockout stages of European's elite club competition. It was more than Arsenal deserved for another lacklustre display and Dynamo's frustration was clear as midfielder Olexandr Aliyev was sent off for a petulant shove on referee Alain Hamer.
But Wenger will be grateful for small mercies. If the captaincy can take Fabregas's play to greater heights, it might not be all doom and gloom around the Emirates for too long. "Cesc was very good for me. He was focused for 90 minutes and worked hard defensively and offensively," Wenger said. "It wasn't easy in midfield. Overall he had a very good game.
"William's focus was great," Wenger added about Gallas. "He wanted to do well and you could see he was completely committed. I was very happy that the fans responded in a positive way to him."
Dynamo coach Yuri Semin added: "We were more or less equal with Arsenal and we played well but the result is what counts. We had some small chances which we didn't take and showed some tiredness at the end."
As expected, Wenger ended Gallas's brief exile for criticising his colleagues and restored the disaffected defender to his starting line-up. Despite Gallas's stinging criticism of Arsenal's youngsters last week there was no outward sign that he had been frozen out. The France centre-back exchanged hugs with his team-mates before kick-off and there were no jeers from the home fans.
Gallas's return was born as much of necessity as desire however. With a host of key players sidelined through injury, Wenger could hardly afford to leave out such an experienced player after a run of three defeats from four matches. Even so, Wenger still had to field a youthful team including a first Champions League start for Mexican striker Carlos Vela.
Aaron Ramsey, another of Wenger's young prodigies, had the first chance when he collected Vela's pass and drew a close-range save from Stanislav Bogush. Gallas was inevitably the centre of attention in the early stages. When Vela sent him sprawling to the turf after a mid-air collision, there was a mischievous temptation to interpret it as an act of dressing room revenge, but the clash was purely accidental.
Robin van Persie fashioned a shooting opportunity with a neat piece of footwork just before the break, only for Bogush to deny the Arsenal forward. Gallas's woeful week nearly took a turn for the worse when his under-hit backpass let in Ismael Bangoura but he could breathe again as the striker's effort cannoned back off the near post.
It seemed nothing could keep Gallas out of the action. He had the ball in Dynamo's net on the stroke of half-time but his shot was correctly ruled out for offside. After almost being in the right place at the right time, Gallas was the fall-guy early in the second half. Van Persie's shot appeared to be creeping in until Gallas inadvertently blocked it in the six-yard block.
There was still no sign of Arsenal taking control of the match though and long range efforts from Bangoura and Aliyev only emphasised the need for a quick improvement. Artem Milevskiy should have given Dynamo the lead with 12 minutes left when he found himself with just Manuel Almunia to beat, but the Arsenal keeper saved his side with a brave block.
Just as Arsenal looked to have run out of ideas, Fabregas provided the moment of inspiration they had been lacking in the 87th minute. He unleashed a superb long pass that picked out Bendtner and allowed the substitute to gallop clear and smash his shot past Bogush.
That triggered a Dynamo meltdown and Aliyev was sent off after shoving referee Hamer while trying to take a quick free-kick.
Lyon send Fiorentina tumbling
French champions Lyon knocked Fiorentina out of the UEFA Champions League with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday as they ensured their own place in the knock-out stages. Jean II Makoun and Karim Benzema gave the visitors a two-goal lead before Alberto Gilardino pulled one back for the hosts while the woodwork was hit five times through the match.
Lyon now need a result against Bayern Munich in two weeks to top the group while Fiorentina need to avoid defeat at Steaua Bucharest in their final Group F match to ensure the consolation of a place in the UEFA Cup.
La Viola's French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey admitted his team lacked a bit of experience. "For 20 minutes we were afraid to play further up the pitch and that cost us but after that we played a great match," he said. "This is a great competition but this year it was just too great for us, now we have to try to finish third and get into the UEFA Cup."
Striker Gilardino said it was only to be expected from a team that hadn't played in Europe's top competition for eight years. "It's the first time we're in this competition so it's normal that we found it difficult," he said. "We lacked experience and going down 2-0 always makes life difficult. We had chances but we didn't manage to equalise."
Fiorentina probed willingly in the early stages and Zdravko Kuzmanovic forced visiting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris into a sprawling save down by his post. But while Fiorentina were more perspiration than inspiration, Lyon had the cutting edge that their hosts lacked and took the lead on 14 minutes.
Abdul Kader Keita's initial shot from distance was blocked but he ran onto the rebound and scuffed another shot well wide of the far post. Benzema prevented the ball from running off for a goal-kick and pulled it back for Makoun for a simple finish.
Lyon remained dangerous on the break and Benzema was just a little too calm with his finish from Keita's pull-back, side-footing just wide on 19 minutes. Sidney Govou then hit the post with a shot from the edge of the area as Lyon threatened to run riot.
Benzema got his name on the scoresheet on 27 minutes as Juninho robbed Riccardo Montolivo in midfield before feeding the France striker who strode forward and shot home low to Sebastien Frey's right.
Fiorentina didn't let their heads drop and deservedly pulled a goal back in the last minute of the first period. Just before that Gilardino had seen his shot deflected wide off Brazilian defender Cris and from the resulting corner Adrian Mutu had headed against the corner of crossbar and post. But Gilardino then peeled off to the back post to outjump John Mensah and head Mario Santana's cross into the top corner from eight yards.
Lyon almost extended their lead again soon after the restart as Juninho sent a free-kick crashing back off the bar. Benzema then escaped on a counter-attack with three defenders in hot pursuit. He beat two when they caught up to him but took one touch too many, allowing Alessandro Gamberini to dive in and block his shot.
Midway through the period Fiorentina also hit the woodwork as Kuzmanovic's shot was deflected onto the post. Lyon then hit the bar again four minutes from time from a stunning volley by substitute Ederson. In the dying moments Jean Alain Boumsong made a vital block on substitute Pablo Osvaldo as Lyon held out for the win.
United, Villarreal draw through
Holders Manchester United failed to secure top spot in UEFA Champions League Group E but qualified for the knockout stage of the competition after another 0-0 draw with Villarreal at El Madrigal on Tuesday. Villarreal, still undefeated at home in the competition, join United in the last 16 and the final round of group matches will now decide who tops the group.
Manchester United, who have the superior goal difference, host Aalborg BK on 12 December while Villarreal have a tougher trip to Celtic on the same day. Once again there was no separating these two teams who have failed to produce a goal in 360 minutes of European football having played each other four times in the Champions League with every game ending 0-0.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that he had been impressed by his side's second-half performance. "I thought we deserved better out of this match," said the Scot, who has guided the team to two Champions League trophies in his time in charge. "I was satisfied with the second-half performance and I felt that Villarreal were just happy to get the draw."
Cristiano Ronaldo hit the crossbar at the end of the first half for United, who had the better chances, but Villarreal could also have stolen the points. Spanish defender Joan Capdevila was sent off eight minutes from time for a challenge on Ronaldo .
"I didn't really see the incident," said Ferguson. "However, I had spoken about Ronaldo needing protection from officials and this evening (Tuesday) we had a good referee."
Ferguson received a major boost with Ronaldo being declared fit after overcoming a leg injury sustained against Villa at the weekend. With Dimitar Berbatov injured Carlos Tevez was expected to start but the Argentine, becoming increasingly used to life out of the first eleven, was surprisingly left on the substitutes bench with Wayne Roooney as a lone striker. For Villarreal, Giuseppe Rossi faced his former club for the first time after finding competition too fierce at Old Trafford.
Rooney had the ball in the net for the visitors after seven minutes but it did not count with Patrice Evra flagged offside. Ronaldo, jeered by the home crowd, was involved in an early spat with Ariel Ibagaza.
Villarreal were being suffocated by the champions's intense pressing in midfield but carved open a chance on 17 minutes with Santiago Cazorla forcing a save from Kuszczak. Ronaldo then underlined his goal threat rattling the crossbar four minutes from half-time with Diego Lopez pulling off a fine fingertip save to deny the Portuguese schemer.
At half-time Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini was forced to substitute his captain Marcos Senna who had been struggling with a knock. Ronaldo looked the man most likely to break the stalemate and early in the second half Lopez saved his low drive and Rooney could not convince the referee that he warranted a penalty after collapsing in the area.
Despite a draw being good enough for both teams to qualify neither side was settling for the stalemate and Villarreal had their best opening on 65 minutes with a terrific Cazorla cross somehow evading everyone. Capdevila made a heroic goal-line clearance on 80 minutes to deny Rooney only to be strangely sent off minutes later.
Klose puts Bayern in last 16
"We are very, very happy," said ex-Germany boss Klinsmann who is in his first season with the German giants. "On the one hand, we are happy that we are through with a game left to play. And we are also happy, because the team is just getting better and better with each game.
"We have the feeling for the last six weeks the team is improving steadily and building momentum. To qualify is a good achievement in itself," the coach added.
French midfielder Franck Ribery was again the ace in Bayern's pack of stars as he bossed the midfield. But the night belonged to Klose, who has three goals from the last two games after scoring in last Saturday's 4-1 Bundesliga win. Dorinel Munteanu-coached Steaua remain anchored to the bottom of the table and were playing for pride, but still have a chance of UEFA Cup berth.
Bayern's Argentina defender Martin Demichelis missed his first group stage match with a calf strain he picked up in Munich's victory against Energie Cottbus last Saturday. Belgium's Daniel Van Buyten took over, while Lukas Podolski, who has applied for a transfer in January's winter break, was again on the bench and is suffering from a back problem.
Bayern began by battering the Bucharest defence with Toni alone squandering three clear chances in the opening ten minutes as the home side poured forward. Bucharest had their first chance of the game when Columbian Dayro Galindo went close on 17 minutes, but his shot flew over the bar with Bayern's goalkeeper Michael Rensing beaten.
Having had a first-half goal disallowed, Bayern's Germany striker Miroslav Klose finally got his deserved score when Ribery - sporting flashy pink boots - had his shot charged down. The Polish-born striker pounced on the rebound and stabbed the ball home on 57 minutes and then turned goal-provider just four minutes later.
A clever reverse header from the forward fell perfectly for Toni to smash home a diving header and suddenly Bayern were 2-0 up with just over an hour played with a foot in the next round. And the game was ended as a contest with a second goal from Klose when Ribery put him in space and the top scorer from the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ hammered his second home on 71 minutes.
With time running out Steaua's second-half replacement Antonio Semedo from Portugal went close ten minutes from time, but Rensing held his ground and palmed the ball over the bar. Bayern will now travel to Lyon on 10 December to decide who wins Group F, while Steaua host Fiorentina the same night in Bucharest with a UEFA Cup place at stake.
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