Forlan returns to haunt Liverpool

SOCCER EUROPA LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS: Liverpool 2 Atletico Madrid 1 Agg 2-2; Atletico win on away goalA SEASON which started with so much promise for Liverpool turned into a nightmare for Rafa Benitez's squad last night after Diego Forlan grabbed the crucial away goal in extra-time to knock the Merseysiders out of the Europa Cup.

When Yossi Benayoun gave them the lead in the 95th minute, converting Lucas’s lobbed pass with a half-volley, it looked like a Europa League final against Fulham was very much on the cards, but their old tormentor Forlan spoiled the party in the 102nd minute. The former Manchester United striker stabbed the ball home from Jose Antonio Reyes’s cross.

It was a tight affair and neither side could squeeze through in normal time. Each match had been won by a single goal, with Alberto Aquilani making the breakthrough at Anfield. The La Liga side was not especially disturbed to be 1-0 down on even this ground and looked at times to have the better technique.

Despite three corners for Liverpool inside the first couple of minutes, there had never been much prospect of a quick conclusion to the contest. Neither team had the initial sharpness to do serious harm and there was an absence of authority to much of the work. A seeming breakthrough after 32 minutes proved to be an illusion when Daniel Agger was rightly ruled to have been off-side as the free-kick from which he bundled the ball home was taken.

Nonetheless, the incident contributed to Liverpool’s momentum and the tie was pulled level on aggregate a minute before half-time.

The absurd ease of the build-up perhaps indicated that Atletico had become harassed. It took no more than a Javier Mascherano throw-in to send Yossi Benayoun turning past the defence, for a cut-back converted delightfully by Alberto Aquilani.

It was to be expected that some degree of patience would be essential. These, after all, are interlocking clubs who even chose to engage in a friendly on this ground in August. It is hard to separate them. The matches in last season’s Champions League group phase both ended in 1-1 draws and now they share a mood of anti-climax over their featureless domestic campaigns.

A 1-0 loss, all the same, is still a poor result in an away leg. Atletico could also feel encouraged that the Argentine forward Sergio Aguero had completed his suspension in Madrid. Benitez had to be fearful of the striker. The presence of Aguero was enough to make him demote the stolid Sotiris Kyrgiakos to the bench and put Daniel Agger at centre-back in the hope that the Dane’s greater mobility would be telling.

In consequence, the defence had to be rejigged in other ways, too, Mascherano filled the right-back post as Glen Johnson was relocated to the left. With a deficit to be addressed, defending could only be a secondary issue for the side and as the first half developed Atletico began to be pinned down. Aguero then must have been exasperated. When he did slip into space with the aid of a good Raul Garcia pass his final ball drifted away harmlessly.

A single slip might after all have been enough to see one of them fall out of the competition. If the tie was in the balance, the visitors re-emerged to try and tip it back in their favour. Each team needed a goal to advance but Liverpool, with the crowd behind, seemed to have a confidence that matters would flow in their favour.

The immediate effect of parity in the tie was a booking apiece for Gerrard and, later, Paulo Assuncao. There had been a certain thoughtfulness to the occasion, despite yellow cards, and a trace of patience was present. Gerrard, for instance, was in one of the deeper-lying roles, with Benitez putting the emphasis on his captain’s technique as much as impulsiveness.

Atletico, after all, were showing ambition and rashness that Liverpool might well have been exploited. The visiting supporters saw enough encouragement for their voices to rise above those of the Anfield regulars. Guardian Service

LIVERPOOL: Reina, Mascherano (Degen 110), Carragher, Agger, Johnson, Aquilani (El Zhar 89), Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard, Benayoun (Pacheco 113), Babel. Subs not used: Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Ayala. Booked: Gerrard, Aquilani, Carragher, Kuyt.

ATLETICO MADRID: De Gea, Valera, Dominguez, Perea, Antonio Lopez, Reyes, Paulo Assuncao (Jurado 99), Raul Garcia, Simao, Aguero (Salvio 120), Forlan (Camacho 117). Subs not used: Sergio Asenjo, Juanito, Ujfalusi, Cabrera. Booked: Paulo Assuncao, Valera, Forlan, Dominguez.

Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway).