Liverpool returned to "Estadio Da Luz" in Portugal looking to avenge the 1-0 defeat which stopped them from retaining their Champion's League crown in 2006-07..
The Reds were coming off a moral boosting home win against Sunderland on Sunday, and were aware off the threat that Benfica posed, as the Portuguese side had a phenomenal home record, having lost just once in 24 games..
The Reds started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, which Benitez prefers in European games, against a side who had their own star in the young Argentine 'Angel Di Maria' , with Mascherano and Lucas lining in as the defensive cover to the back four...
The match started very well for the Reds, as Gerrard won a free kick just outside the Benfica box, after Maxi Pereira had tripped him.. The Reds skipper passes it incisively to Daniel Agger who puts the ball in the back of the net with a cheeky flick...
But the side from Liverpool were not having it all their own way.. Di Maria was proving to be constant menace on the right providing numerous opportunities to Cardozo who couldn't capitalize.. But the game as a whole started to heat up around the half hour mark.. Torres , who had been singled out for rough treatment by the Benfica backline got a whack in his leg from Luisao , who had no intent of winning the ball, and got booked for it.. The big Brazilian got into an argument with Ryan Babel and the Dutchman was foolish enough to put his hand on the centreback infront of the official, resulting in him getting sent off.. Benitez wouldn't have relished the prospect of his side having to play an hour of the match down to 10 men.. But Torres almost put them ahead after putting the ball into the back of the net from a corner , but the linesman ruled it offside , sparing the Benfica goalie his blushes..
The second half though didn't go very well for the Merseysiders , with Benfica having a man advantage , came out all guns blazing to get back in the tie.. And they got their reward on the 58th minute mark, with Cardozo's free kick rebounding and falling to Aimar, who goes down under a challenge from Insua.. The Argentine's needless stamp on his fellow countryman giving the home side a way back into the game..Cardozo stepped up and lashed the ball into the right hand corner to make it all square... But Liverpool were not going down without a fight, and a quick counter almost resulted in them regaining the lead when Dirk Kuyt threaded a lovely pass to Torres who didn't even test the keeper.. Playing all alone upfront without any support was always going to be difficult..And the home side won their second spot kick when Jamie Carragher was rightly adjudged to handling the ball from a Di Maria cross by the linesman.. Cardozo converted the spot kick with a more composed finish this time giving Benfica the 2-1 advantage on the night and in the tie.. The night ended with Torres and Gerrard being replaced by Ngog and Benayoun respectively in the closing stages , and the revenge still unfulfilled...
FINAL VERDICT - Even though the result was a 2-1 loss, we can take heart from the battling performance the team put in, and we have the away goal which can be very crucial come the second leg.... On a personal note, some of the decisions by the referee were pretty bizarre..
PLAYER RATINGS -
Reina - Could not do much about the two penalties, and had a few doubtful moments, but still had a decent game.. 7
Carragher - Apart from his handball in the box, had a pretty solid game.. 8
Agger - Brilliant flick for the goal.. Sound at the back .. 8
Insua - Made a few mistakes , especially in the box when he stamped Aimar leading to a Benfica spot kick.. 5
Johnson - put in a good defensive shift to keep Di Maria at bay.. 8
Kuyt - A very good performance by the Dutchman, creating a few decent openings and helping the team out at the back.. 8
Mascherano - Broke up play very well, and did his job efficiently.. 8
Lucas - Even though he tries to slow down the opposition from playing, he gives the ball away far too often with his slack passing.. An area for major improvement.. 6
Babel - Immaturity on his part to be raising his hands at opponent's faces .. Put his team under unnecessary pressure for major part of the game and gives the manager a selection problem with the return leg in a week's time.. 3
Gerrard - The captain led the way very well in a hostile atmosphere, one of the few players who didn't make any mistakes.. 8
Torres- Missed a glorious opportunity in the 2nd half to give Liverpool the lead , but the rough treatment he got from the Benfica defense didn't do him any favors.. David Luiz should have been sent off for his incessant unfair tackling on the Spaniard.. 7
Ngog - The young Frenchman did a good job for the last 10 minutes for which he came on.. holding the ball very well to keep his side in the opposition's half .. 6
YNWA
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