Fulham 4 - 1 Juventus
(B.Zamora 9', Z. Gera 39',49', C. Dempsey 82', D. Trezeguet 2')
Marseille 1 - 2 Benfica
(M. Niang 70', M. Pereira 75', D.S.P.J.A. Kardec 90')
Standard Liege 1 - 0 Panathinaikos
(D. Mbokani 45')
Werder Bremen 4 - 4 Valencia
(H. Almeida 26', T. Frings (pen.) 57', M. Marin 62', C. Pizarro 84', D. Villa 3',45',66', J.M. Mata 15')
Anderlecht 4 - 3 Hamburger SV
(M. Suarez (pen.)45', R. Lukaku 45', L.R. Biglia 59', M. Boussoufa 66', J. Boateng 43', M. Jansen 54', M. Petric 75')
Liverpool 3 - 0 Lille
(S. Gerrard (pen.) 9', F. Torres 49', 90')
Sporting Lisbon 2 - 2 Atletico Madrid
(Liedson 19', Polga 45, S. Agüero 3',33')
Wolfsburg 2 - 1 Rubin Kazan
(O. Martins 59', C. Gentner 120', A. Kasaev 22')
Friday, March 19, 2010
Clinical Liverpool punish Lille lapses
Liverpool FC 3-0 LOSC Lille Métropole (agg: 3-1)
After an early Steven Gerrard penalty, two second-half efforts from Fernando Torres took Liverpool into the last eight.
Liverpool FC's hopes of applying a silver lining to their troubled season are alive after a 3-0 win against LOSC Lille Métropole carried them into the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
Steven Gerrard cancelled out Lille's first-leg advantage with an early penalty before Fernando Torres sealed their progress with two second-half strikes.
Liverpool skipper Gerrard said the first goal would be crucial and he delivered it after only eight minutes. Lucas is not known for his dribbling skills but perhaps inspired by the presence at Anfield of Diego Maradona, the Brazilian jinked between two white shirts before going down under a challenge by Adil Rami.
Torres then embarked on a mesmerising run along the byline that ended with a shot deflected behind. With Liverpool on top, more chances followed. Dirk Kuyt failed to squeeze the ball home after Daniel Agger had headed on Gerrard's corner. Kuyt then turned provider, releasing Lucas who shot at Mickaël Landreau, before dinking a cross to Torres who headed wide.
Lille are nicknamed Les Dogues (The Mastiffs) but they were being hounded by Liverpool – typified when Gerrard dispossessed the dawdling Rio Mavuba and found Torres clean through but offside. Still, Lille could have reached half-time level through Eden Hazard, the first-leg match-winner, who saw his shot bounce off Pepe Reina's head after breaking clear via a one-two with Ludovic Obraniak.
Torres, making his first home European start since September, scored Liverpool's second four minutes after the restart. The Spaniard capitalised on Rami's failure to deal with Ryan Babel's long ball, sprinted away from Aurélien Chedjou and finished coolly past Landreau.
Lille coach Rudi García sent on two big strikers, Larsen Touré and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the latter gave Liverpool a scare on 73 minutes when he met a free-kick at the far post only to find the roof of the net. Liverpool conceded costly late goals twice in the UEFA Champions League group stage but after a long ball had fallen just behind Aubameyang, Torres dispelled any nerves by sweeping home the rebound after Landreau had foiled Gerrard.
After an early Steven Gerrard penalty, two second-half efforts from Fernando Torres took Liverpool into the last eight.
Liverpool FC's hopes of applying a silver lining to their troubled season are alive after a 3-0 win against LOSC Lille Métropole carried them into the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
Steven Gerrard cancelled out Lille's first-leg advantage with an early penalty before Fernando Torres sealed their progress with two second-half strikes.
Liverpool skipper Gerrard said the first goal would be crucial and he delivered it after only eight minutes. Lucas is not known for his dribbling skills but perhaps inspired by the presence at Anfield of Diego Maradona, the Brazilian jinked between two white shirts before going down under a challenge by Adil Rami.
Torres then embarked on a mesmerising run along the byline that ended with a shot deflected behind. With Liverpool on top, more chances followed. Dirk Kuyt failed to squeeze the ball home after Daniel Agger had headed on Gerrard's corner. Kuyt then turned provider, releasing Lucas who shot at Mickaël Landreau, before dinking a cross to Torres who headed wide.
Lille are nicknamed Les Dogues (The Mastiffs) but they were being hounded by Liverpool – typified when Gerrard dispossessed the dawdling Rio Mavuba and found Torres clean through but offside. Still, Lille could have reached half-time level through Eden Hazard, the first-leg match-winner, who saw his shot bounce off Pepe Reina's head after breaking clear via a one-two with Ludovic Obraniak.
Torres, making his first home European start since September, scored Liverpool's second four minutes after the restart. The Spaniard capitalised on Rami's failure to deal with Ryan Babel's long ball, sprinted away from Aurélien Chedjou and finished coolly past Landreau.
Lille coach Rudi García sent on two big strikers, Larsen Touré and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the latter gave Liverpool a scare on 73 minutes when he met a free-kick at the far post only to find the roof of the net. Liverpool conceded costly late goals twice in the UEFA Champions League group stage but after a long ball had fallen just behind Aubameyang, Torres dispelled any nerves by sweeping home the rebound after Landreau had foiled Gerrard.
Juve floored by Fulham comeback
Fulham FC 4-1 Juventus (agg: 5-4)Clint Dempsey's brilliant late chipped goal crowned a remarkable night for the London side as they earned a place in Friday's quarter-final draw.
Clint Dempsey's brilliant chipped goal three minutes from time completed a remarkable comeback for Fulham FC as they overturned a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Juventus to ensure their UEFA Europa League run continues.
Zoltán Gera scored twice and Bobby Zamora and substitute Dempsey once each as Fulham made the most of Fabio Cannavaro's 27th-minute dismissal to recover from David Trezeguet's early strike and reach the quarter-finals. To make matters worse, Juventus ended their campaign with nine men, first-leg scorer Jonathan Zebina sent off late on for a kick on Damien Duff.
A historic night for Fulham started in terrible fashion when after only two minutes a mix-up in defence allowed Trezeguet to sweep the ball low past goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. Fulham rallied and were back on level terms seven minutes later when Zamora beat Cannavaro to Paul Konchesky's cross and fired in the equaliser.
Juve had let a three-goal lead slip against AC Siena on Sunday and nerves were jangling when Cannavaro was dismissed midway through the half for pulling back Gera as he burst clear. Zamora's pass had created the opening and his resulting free-kick was only kept out by a superb fingertip stop from third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti, in for the injured Gianluigi Buffon and Alex Manninger.
Fulham powered forward and Stephen Kelly then Dickson Etuhu hit the woodwork before their pressure paid off on 39 minutes, Gera finishing a flowing move when he tapped in Simon Davies's cross. There was no let-up after the break as Diego handled in the area and Gera dispatched the spot kick on 48 minutes to put Fulham ahead 3-1 and bring the tie level 4-4 on aggregate.
The 39-year-old Chimenti kept Juve in the tie with instinctive saves from Davies, Dempsey and Gera. There was nothing he could do with eight minutes left, however, when Dempsey chipped high over his head and into the far corner from the edge of the area to cap a memorable night for Roy Hodgson's side.
Juve floored by Fulham comeback
Villa hat-trick only half the story
Werder Bremen 4-4 Valencia CF (agg: 5-5, Valencia on away goals)A David Villa hat-trick swung the tie in the Spanish side's favour after a remarkable night in Germany.
A David Villa hat-trick earned Valencia CF an astonishing 4-4 draw with Werder Bremen that ensured them a UEFA Europa League quarter-final place courtesy of the away-goals rule.
The two sides settled for a sober 1-1 draw in last week's first leg in Spain, but they produced a stunning return at the Weserstadion. Villa signalled his return from a shoulder problem with a goal in the third minute and Juan Mata struck in the 15th before substitute Hugo Almeida pulled one back for the hosts.
Villa's second on the stroke of half-time looked decisive, only for Bremen captain Torsten Frings to convert a 57th-minute penalty and Marko Marin to hit their third in a stirring comeback. Villa, however, then raced away to fire Valencia's fourth and put his side into Friday's draw, despite Claudio Pizarro's 84th-minute equaliser.
Valencia made light of several absentees through injury and suspension as they took the game to Bremen from the start. David Silva provided assists for all three of their first-half strikes, starting with a pass for Villa following Naldo's weak header. The striker made no mistake with his angled shot past Tim Wiese and neither did Mata after Silva's ball over the top of the Bremen defence. Almeida tapped home Pizarro's cross just four minutes after coming on but there was more to come from Villa with a low shot through the crowd after Silva had brilliantly rescued the ball and provided the perfect pass.
Coming out 3-1 down for the second half, Bremen's task was soon made easier when Valencia substitute Jordi Alba brought down Marin. Frings, who also scored from the spot in the first leg, repeated the feat and five minutes later Marin followed up with a vicious shot from inside the box to make it all square on the night. Villa looked to have ended the drama with his third and Valencia's fourth, but Pizarro's header brought more drama as the visitors held on.
Villa hat-trick only half the story
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