Liverpool 3 Benfica 3
Heavy Metal football? More a slow, slow, quick, quick slow foxtrot into the last 4 of the European Cup.
Heavy Metal football? More a slow, slow, quick, quick slow foxtrot into the last 4 of the European Cup.
LIVERPOOL 3 (Konate 21, Firmino 55 and 65)
BENFICA 3 (Ramos 32, Yaremchuk 73, Nunez 82)
Liverpool win 6–4 on aggregate.
It’s a mere 4 days and 20 years since Liverpool last squandered a 1st leg lead in the Champions League (European Cup) and your humble narrator was present that dark and gloomy night in Leverkusen, Germany, when with just 5 minutes left on the clock, and I luckily guaranteed a Semi-Final ticket for the clash with Manchester United at their “Theatre of Dreams”, Brazilian Lucio scored and dashed both mine and the Reds European dreams for yet another season. 20 years hence, Benfica from Portugal were never going to overturn the 3–1 1st leg deficit inflicted upon them in their own footballing theatre, Estadio da luz just 8 days ago, and so it proved. What tonight also resoundingly proved to the faintly ridiculous naysayers on social media before the game was that the Reds Manager Jurgen Klopp had so much confidence in his squad that he could rest the likes of Fabinho, Virgil van Dijk, Thiago, Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, for a Quarter-Final 2nd leg of the European Cup remember, and be in relative comfort and cruise control for the entire evening.
Gerard Houllier’s team, with the inclusion of the mercurial Finish striker Jari Litmanen, were just 5 minutes away on that gloomy Leverkusen night from booking their place in the Semi-Finals of the European Cup and just mere months after winning a European and Domestic treble of trophies. If Lucio hadn’t broken my heart that night (the story of my journey to Germany for this game will be featured in a future article: please see links below), the Reds would have faced a rampant Manchester United team and maybe our footballing hearts were broken in Germany rather than more bitterly a few weeks later in Manchester. We shall never know, but Houllier’s team was on a crest of a wave that they couldn’t quite conquer.
Jurgen Klopp on the other hand can field a team vying for a last 4 spot in the most prestigious club competition of them all with 37 year old James Milner playing 55 rather comfortable minutes, Joe Gomez excellent at right back, Joel Matip partnering Ibrahima Konate in the centre of defence and Kostas Tsimikas rounding off a defensive line with an outstanding display at left back and fully deserving of my personal “Man of the Match” award. Naby Keita was busy and industrious all evening too and enjoyed a personal hat-trick of sorts with shots that were either blazed over the bar or his second and third efforts going narrowly, agonisingly wide and so very close to adding to the score tally this evening.
A much changed Liverpool quickly adopted the slow, slow, quick, quick style of transitional play and were happily cruising at 0–0 when rudely awoken by a fantastic drive from the Brazilian, and so perfectly and aptly named, Everton. His drive shaved the upright post of Alisson Becker’s goal and in truth, he wouldn’t have reached his fellow countryman’s shot had it been just a few inches inside the post. This stung the Reds into more attacking and progressive action. A Joe Gomez cross was headed into the Benfica goal by Diogo Jota but the goal was instantly disallowed for a push on a defender and little did we know at that time it was to set a precedent for the umpteen disallowed goals to follow.
The next goal to be scored actually counted and was almost a replica of the goal scored by Ibrahima Konate 8 days ago in Lisbon. Rising unchallenged to a corner he expertly headed down and into the far corner past the flailing dive of Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos. With 21 minutes on the clock, Liverpool now led 1–0 on the night, 4–1 on aggregate and the game was effectively over. The Reds restricted Benfica to just 2 real chances in the first half, both hit the back of the net, and only one counted. First Darwin Nunez scored with a deft chip at the Kop end of a loudly singing Anfield but his effort was ruled out for offside and the first of his individual disallowed goals this evening. Minutes later a scruffy tackle cum challenge from James Milner saw the ball spin perfectly for Goncalo Ramos who smashed it past Alisson Becker and stunning the Liverpool faithful behind the goal. After 32 minutes the aggregate score was back to a 2 goal deficit, and now 4–2 in favour of Liverpool.
The goal appeared to once again spur the Reds into a more attacking mode with Luis Diaz producing a stinging shot after a fabulous body swerve that completely “lost” his pursuing defender and Roberto Firmino should have scored with a close in header that was deflected over the bar. The Brazilian striker was also central to what should have been a goal on the stroke of half-time when from seemingly nowhere he was sprung through the defensive lines by a brilliant reverse ball from James Milner and seemed certain to shoot past Odysseas Vlachodimos, but rather squared a pass for team mate Luis Diaz who couldn’t convert the goal chance as Alex Grimaldo brilliantly defended the pass and scooped it out of play for a corner. There was still time for Keita’s drilled shot that flew narrowly past the post and a slick combination between Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez that saw Gomez’s shot fly just wide.
1–1 on the night and 4–2 ahead on aggregate, Liverpool started the 2nd half in supreme control and upping the tempo of their dance whenever they wished. Firmino’s first goal and absolute cast ironed sealer of the tie on aggregate came after a comedy of errors from the Benfica goalkeeper and his surrounding defenders but it was equally as a result of a Liverpool team pressing them relentlessly in their own half of the field. Diogo Jota’s scuffed shot found its way to a predatory Roberto Firmino at the far post for an easy tap in goal, but the goal was thoroughly deserved for the pressure leading up to the kamikaze defensive mistakes that allowed it. Jurgen Klopp introduced his rested stars as substitutes at this point (Mane, Salah, Fabinho) and his well oiled team just continued to play the game in their opponents half and it was no surprise when Firmino doubled his goal tally just 10 minutes later. Tsimikas’ free kick was defended dreadfully by Benfica but it mattered not to the Brazilian striker who reassuringly celebrated with both his “calm down” gesture and his rather pleasing high karate kick style of flamboyant celebration!
25 minutes remained and with the aggregate score now 6–2, the tie was well and truly over but the Reds still carved out chances for Keita (again) and for Mo Salah via great work from the impressive Kostas Tsimikas. There was still time for goals to be scored and disallowed (Mane for Liverpool and Nunez for Benfica) before Darwin Nunez finally scored a legitimate goal with 9 minutes to go and after Roman Yaremchuk’s goal 8 minutes before. It mattered not and was perfectly in keeping with a game and a two legged tie that was always in control of a Liverpool team that can dictate the tempo and style of play against seemingly any club team in the world, except for their rivals a few miles down the East Lancs road in Manchester.
On that dark and dreary night in Leverkusen 20 years ago, the Reds main foes were also in Manchester but these days they wear a pale shade of Blue shirt rather than a devilish red one. On the back of a historic treble of trophies (and five in total after also winning the European Super Cup and Charity Shield), the 2002 team was on the cusp of the Semi-Finals of the Champions League and on the brink of being a team that could finally challenge for the “Bread and Butter” of the English League Title.
Houllier’s project had one final trophy winning highlight a year later but all these years later Jurgen Klopp has built an astonishing team that has won the Champions League, World Club Championship, a League Cup and the holy grail: the English Premier League or as I still rather simply and romantically call it, “The League”. In under 7 years the German Manager has created one of arguably just two of the best club football teams in the world. Together with their nearest foes Manchester City, they have dominated English football and could and should have wrapped up the European footballing continent in recent years too. Maybe this season one of these two magnificent teams will indeed stamp their dominance both here and in the European Cup of dreams: the Champions League. First they must duel again on Saturday and at yet another footballing venue of dreams, Wembley Stadium, and for a place in this season’s FA Cup Final.
The Reds are still in every competition they entered at the start of this already remarkable season. Saturday’s duel with Manchester City is a one-off cup tie with no baggage or concerns for the destiny of the League Title and I foresee an absolute humdinger.
Time will tell.
It always does.
Thanks for reading. As mentioned above, please see links to my recent articles on Liverpool FC. There are numerous more for your perusal within my archives:
7 European trips following the Mighty Reds of Liverpool
Volume 5: Deportivo Alaves, UEFA Cup Final, 2001. A Cup Final Special Edition!medium.com
Manchester City 2 Liverpool 2
Welcome to the Pleasure Domemedium.com
Benfica 1 Liverpool 3
Luis Diaz seals a first leg victory that sees the Reds with one foot in the Semi-Final of the European Cupmedium.com