Chelsea profit from Riise intervention

Semi-finals - 22 April 2008 20:45 (CET) - Anfield - Liverpool
	Liverpool	1 - 1	Chelsea
	Kuyt 43		Riise (o.g.) 90+ 4

Tuesday 22 April 2008

Match report by John Mathews from Liverpool

Ashley Cole enjoys Chelsea's late escape (©Getty Images)Photos/Wallpapers »

A headed own goal deep into added time by Liverpool FC substitute John Arne Riise rescued a draw for Chelsea FC after Dirk Kuyt's first-half opener had looked like giving the home team a significant advantage in their UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Awkward header
Riise, a 62nd-minute replacement for the injured Fábio Aurélio who has not scored for Liverpool all season, stooped low to try to clear Salomon Kalou's cross from the left, but his awkward header flew past Pepe Reina and into the top of the net – giving Chelsea an away goal they had virtually given up on getting. It could have been so different for Liverpool, had visiting goalkeeper Petr Čech not spectacularly tipped over a late Steven Gerrard drive before denying Fernando Torres seconds before the equaliser.

Cagey opening
Both sides were slow to start and the cagey, tactical match predicted by many appeared likely to materialise. Chelsea seemed to have the upper hand thanks to a slightly more measured passing game, until Rafael Benítez's men created the first real opening of the tie. Xabi Alonso's long and hopeful ball over the top of Chelsea's back line found Kuyt, who beat the offside trap but failed to control properly and a combination of Čech and Ricardo Carvalho cleared the danger.

No rhythm
Still, Liverpool frequently struggled to find their rhythm as the half wore on and possession of the ball looked to be a luxury commodity. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard almost caught the five-time champions off guard with a dangerous crossfield pass which the well-placed Joe Cole, in two minds, was unable to get a true touch on. Torres was presented with an even better opportunity at the other end on 30 minutes after being released by Gerrard, yet the striker could only fire straight at Čech when clean in on goal.

Kuyt strikes
Liverpool's fears were eased by the first goal of the semi-final in the 43rd minute. Kuyt capitalised on confusion between Claude Makelele and Ashley Cole after Javier Mascherano's miscued shot was skied over their heads, keeping both his eye on the ball and his nerve to drive the ball past Čech at the Kop end. The Dutchman's strike had a huge galvanising effect on the home side and on the match in general as the tempo was markedly increased, especially just after the break when the Reds made several threats to move further in front.

Drogba struggles
Suddenly the likes of Alonso and Ryan Babel could find each other with incisive interchanges that were previously beyond them, and the home crowd turned up the volume again. With Didier Drogba looking an isolated figure up front for Chelsea as he chased in vain a succession of long balls pumped in his direction, a goal for Avram Grant's team seemed more likely to come from midfield. Michael Ballack and Lampard combined to set Florent Malouda free in the box, where Mascherano's last-ditch block kept his effort off target.

Different complexion
The visitors did, however, force the pace as the clock ticked down, although Liverpool might well have doubled their advantage as first Gerrard then Torres tested Čech. Had either of those chances gone in, next Wednesday's second leg would have taken on an altogether different complexion – as it did, to the Londoners' benefit, when Riise beat Reina.

Barça grateful for Ronaldo reprieve

Semi-finals - 23 April 2008 20:45 (CET) - Camp Nou - Barcelona
	Barcelona	0 - 0	Man. United

A missed penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo ensured FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC remain deadlocked at 0-0 after an enthralling first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Extraordinary scenes
The English side's last visit to the Camp Nou had ended in extraordinary scenes as they won the 1999 UEFA Champions League with two added-time goals, and they almost picked up where they left off on their first return since, only for Ronaldo to fire a third-minute penalty wide after Gabriel Milito had handled. It was as close as they came on a night when Paul Scholes made his 100th appearance in the competition, although the visitors will be thankful to escape with a draw after being forced on the back foot for much of the match.

Penalty miss
The tie sprang to life from kick-off, providing drama as early as the second minute when Ronaldo headed on Scholes' corner only for Milito's raised arm to intervene. The Portuguese international took the spot-kick himself, but fired wide to the relief of the majority in the 98,000 sell-out crowd. Well off the pace in the Primera División, Barça's season rests on this tie and they quickly found their feet, a lightning run from Lionel Messi putting the away team on the back foot. It was breathless stuff as the home side probed a makeshift United back line, shorn of the unwell Nemanja Vidić.

Attacking intent
Sir Alex Ferguson had named an attacking side with Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tévez all selected, but they could not break out of their half. Starved of possession, Ronaldo reacted angrily as Rio Ferdinand pumped a clearance high over his head and soon after Rooney was forced to clear off the toes of Samuel Eto'o deep inside his own area. Against the run of play, though, United nearly broke through. Andrés Iniesta's misplaced pass let in Ronaldo, who was eased off the ball by Rafael Márquez as he closed in on goal.

Ronaldo chance
Despite Barcelona's possession, United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was rarely troubled, a low save from the returning Deco's free-kick on 38 minutes his main contribution of note as half-time approached. At the other end Ronaldo's darting run was halted by Márquez's clumsy challenge, with the resulting booking ruling him out of the second leg.

Classic encounters
The talk in the build-up had been of classic encounters between the sides and the second half began at a pace worthy of the fixture. On 48 minutes Messi's shot was blocked, then Michael Carrick's tackle kept out Eto'o. Moments later Eto'o drove into the side-netting before Carrick did likewise at the other end. United breathed a sigh of relief when Bojan Krkić replaced the tiring Messi two minutes past the hour.

Evenly poised
The home team could still not find a way through, with Van der Sar forced to push away Thierry Henry's fierce drive after the Barcelona substitute had cut inside from the left, and United looked increasingly dangerous on the break as the half progressed. Neither side, however, could break the deadlock, leaving the tie evenly poised for the return at Old Trafford next Tuesday.

Lampard salutes Chelsea staying power

y Andrew Haslam from Liverpool

Frank Lampard celebrates Chelsea's equaliser

Frank Lampard paid tribute to the stamina that brought Chelsea FC a 1-1 draw at Anfield and, the midfielder believes, the psychological edge in their UEFA Champions League semi-final with Liverpool FC.

Last-gasp leveller
Dirk Kuyt's 43rd-minute strike looked set to condemn the visitors to yet another 1-0 defeat on Merseyside after their losses in the last four in 2005 and 2007, only for John Arne Riise to turn Salomon Kalou's left-wing cross into his own net under pressure from Nicolas Anelka deep into added time. "The last second makes a difference, we know that and that's why we keep going to the end," said Lampard. "Liverpool had chances, they played well for periods but we kept going and I think it was a really good cup tie. We started well and created a couple of chances but let them rally and they scored. We were all disappointed at half-time because we dominated the first half-hour but we said to keep going and that goal makes a difference psychologically.

'Extra quality'
"Obviously it's an away goal; we knew Liverpool would have good periods in the game and we had to see them through," Lampard added. "We did that and started to create a little bit again and we had the feeling that something might happen. We kept going right until the last minute and deserved it. It was important [we kept believing]; we were on top in the first half but maybe without that little edge in front of goal, that little bit extra. We started to find it towards the end, Salomon added that little bit of quality and danger, put a good ball in the right area and fortunately it ended up in the back of the net."

'Most difficult week'
Lampard had missed Chelsea's previous two fixtures as his mother is seriously ill in hospital with pneumonia, and acknowledged that it was hard to focus on the game in such trying circumstances. "It's been the most difficult week of my life, without football, let alone finding a game like this at the end of it," he acknowledged. "In the last two days I felt that I could play. The manager, club and my team-mates have all been fantastic and it just helped me to take my mind off things a little bit. Things are a little bit better back home, mum's stable at the minute and that's the biggest boost I could ask for."

'Deserved luck'
Chelsea are now within touching distance of a first UEFA Champions League final and Lampard is urging his team-mates to make the most of the opportunity Riise's goal has given them. "We have a good chance now but we can't get carried away. There's still a lot to do, we knew how important a goal would be but it doesn't mean we're through. Having the second leg at home was only going to be an advantage if we got the right result here. That late goal made it a much better result and we deserved that bit of luck – we haven't had much before here. Liverpool are a very accomplished team in Europe and it's still in the balance. Perhaps if we were playing a European team the away goal might be more important but Liverpool will believe they can come to Stamford Bridge and beat us. That goal will only be important if we follow up the job at home."

Crouch gives credit to resilient Reds

eter Crouch refused to get carried away with the manner and magnitude of Liverpool FC's dramatic 4-2 win against Arsenal FC as he looked ahead to the club's third UEFA Champions League semi-final against Chelsea in FC in four seasons.

'Fantastic win'
The 27-year-old was an unexpected inclusion in Liverpool's starting lineup at Anfield on a night which proved to be full of surprises as the five-time European champions beat Arsenal 5-3 on aggregate. Keeping his focus firmly on further progress, Crouch said: "We don't want to sit back and say we've done well tonight. We've got to go into a massive semi-final. This is a fantastic win but, at the end of the day, it's only the quarter-finals and there are still three more games to go."

Exit fears
Arsenal went in front through Abou Diaby, but Sami Hyypiä squared the tie before Fernando Torres made it 2-1 to Liverpool with a stunning drive. Crouch was eventually substituted and he was a helpless spectator soon afterwards when Emmanuel Adebayor grabbed another away goal, which the England striker admitted left him thinking: "Are we going to go out here?" He said: "I was sitting on the bench and it was a killer blow when Arsenal scored [to make it 2-2] but we were able to bounce back and we've done it time and time again."

'Great character'
Two goals in the last five minutes from Steven Gerrard and Ryan Babel sent Liverpool through to the last four and Crouch said: "We made it difficult for ourselves but we showed great character again. Hats off to [Arsenal], they are a fantastic side and you know they're going to put you under pressure, but in the first 25 minutes it was difficult to get close to them. I think in the second half we really started to close them down and get about them. That's when we showed our true form."

Chelsea next
Liverpool have prevailed in both of their previous UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Chelsea but Crouch is under no illusions about the task ahead. "We have to get over this one first but that's going to be another massive, massive game. We've had the upper hand at times in the semi-finals but, make no mistake, they are a fantastic side as well," he said. "All games are tough but those ones against Chelsea are probably going to be even tougher. We'll have to make sure we get ourselves into a lead, maybe in the first leg, but we are capable of going to Chelsea and getting a result, I think."

Touré confirms Barcelona progress

Yaya Touré sent FC Barcelona through to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals as the Spanish side overcame initial nerves before easing to a 2-0 aggregate victory over FC Schalke 04.

Timely first
Yaya Touré struck his first goal in the competition two minutes before half-time, coolly slotting in after opening-leg scorer Bojan Krkić had wreaked havoc in the visitors' defence. It calmed nerves that had been frayed by a positive opening by Schalke, and Frank Rijkaard's men may have to improve if the sole non-Premier League survivors are to overcome in-form Manchester United FC in the last four.

Visitors bright
Schalke began at Camp Nou as they had finished in Gelsenkirchen, spurning several clear-cut chances in a vibrant first 20 minutes. Gerald Asamoah was all urgent running and neat flicks, Jermaine Jones's passes carried precision and Kevin Kuranyi looked a constant threat. The hosts had early warning after seven minutes when Fabian Ernst fed Asamoah and the winger back-heeled the ball into Halil Altıntop's path. The Schalke No19 hit a fizzing shot that Víctor Valdés got his body behind, only for the ball to spin back goalwards and it took a desperate stretch from the keeper to paw it wide.

Neuer save
Human error, rather than Lady Luck, was to blame when Asamoah missed a free header from Jones's cross, while Kuranyi could not turn it in at the back post despite a committed lunge. These were nervous moments for Barcelona who soon responded to the crowd's urgent demand for action. Even between Schalke's best two opportunities, it fell to Manuel Neuer to atone for his first-leg mistake with a brilliant block. Andrés Iniesta slid a pinpoint pass for Xavi Hernández to beat the offside trap, but one on one with Neuer, the midfielder came off second best as the goalkeeper produced a marvellous reaction save.

Precocious talent
In the first leg it had been Bojan who made the difference with his maiden UEFA Champions League goal and just before half-time he changed the complexion of the game again. Sprinting down the right, his centre caused chaos in Schalke's penalty area. Marcelo Bordon skied his clearance and Mladen Krstajić's subsequent header off the goalline only fell as far as Touré, who swept the ball into the unguarded net. Barça were reborn. The second half started with another mazy Bojan run, although Thierry Henry wasted his delivery, firing over from five metres.

Puyol blow
Neuer made another super stop to keep out Iniesta's raking drive, but then came a blow for the Blaugrana: Carles Puyol was booked for a foul on Asamoah and will miss the first leg against United here. The setback may have pleased Sir Alex Ferguson's brother, present at Camp Nou, yet it failed to sully the home fans' enjoyment as they roared the waspish Bojan on as the youngster harried the Schalke back line. The Bundesliga side's own attacking force was extinguished and they will now focus on a return to the UEFA Champions League next season. For Barcelona, next up is United.

United cruise through thanks to Tévez

Manchester United FC can start preparing for a fascinating-looking UEFA Champions League semi-final meeting with FC Barcelona after Carlos Tévez's second-half header completed the conquest of AS Roma.

De Rossi miss
The Premier League leaders may call Old Trafford the 'Theatre of Dreams' but for Roma it is a place of nightmares. Humiliated here last season and beaten again on their return in this term's group stage, their faint hopes of a comeback from last week's 2-0 loss effectively vanished altogether when Daniele De Rossi sent a 30th-minute penalty high over the crossbar. Tévez's goal merely confirmed the inevitable, leaving United to look forward to their fifth last-four berth under Sir Alex Ferguson, who, given his plethora of forward options, must fancy their prospects of a first final appearance since 1999.

Selection gamble
Entering the game with a two-goal cushion Sir Alex took the gamble of leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, his two scorers at the Stadio Olimpico, on the bench. Such is the strength of United's squad that the visitors still faced the attacking threat of Tévez, flanked by Ji-Sung Park and Ryan Giggs. In the sixth minute those last two combined to create the first opening of the night, Giggs slipping a pass through to Park who dragged his shot wide.

Hargreaves impressive
Luciano Spalletti had promised that Roma would not throw caution to the wind in the early stages, mindful of events here 365 days earlier. United duly took charge and for the first 25 minutes they created chances as freely as they had done when beating the Giallorossi 7-1. Owen Hargreaves, on only his second start in the competition for United, made an immediate impression with his energy in midfield and he launched a move with Tévez and Giggs that ended with the Welshman playing in Hargreaves only for Doni to palm his strike behind.

Lifeline spurned
The same trio combined again soon after, this time Hargreaves crossing for Giggs yet once more Doni was equal to the attempt. Hargreaves then broke clear of the offside trap but was denied by a superb last-ditch tackle by Juan, before Anderson drew a fingertip save from the keeper with a low effort. At this stage, Edwin van der Sar's goal had come under threat only once, Mirko Vučinić testing the Dutchman with a low shot, but that changed on the half-hour. Moments after Mancini had fired in a rising effort at the keeper, the Brazilian wide man went down under a challenge from Wes Brown to earn a penalty. Roma had an unexpected lifeline yet De Rossi spurned it.

Neville return
The opening moments of the second half brought a scare for United when Van der Sar failed to hold a strike from Vučinić, but Marco Cassetti was unable to profit. Mikaël Silvestre, making his first appearance since September at left-back, blocked Taddei's shot then Van der Sar stopped Juan's header from the resulting corner. Spalletti's men continued to probe but, missing the injured Francesco Totti, struggled to fashion any clear openings, and the game was up on 70 minutes when Tévez stooped to meet Hargreaves's near-post cross and steered the ball beyond Doni. The icing on the cake followed when Gary Neville came on as a late substitute for his first outing since March last year.

Lampard relieved as Chelsea hobble on

Frank Lampard admitted Chelsea FC had endured a nervy night against Fenerbahçe SK before clinching a fourth UEFA Champions League semi-final place in five years.

Nervy finish
Lampard said the London team had not played well in a 2-0 victory which gave them a 3-2 aggregate success but the all-important thing was to get through. "I think I felt as safe as everyone else in the stadium," joked the 29-year-old of the game's last quarter when there was apprehension on the pitch as well as in the stands as the Turkish champions sought the away goal that would have put them in front.

Early goal
They came close on two occasions before Lampard went up the other end and scored Chelsea's second of the night. The England international had also laid on the opening goal for Michael Ballack with a carefully flighted free-kick but Chelsea failed to build on the German's fourth-minute header and that allowed Zico's team to believe in their chances of creating history.

'Noses in front'
"We did not play particularly well, not as well as in the first leg, but we hung in there and in the end we were able to kill the game off," Lampard said. "It's not always easy in these games because you're talking about top-quality opposition. What's important is to get your noses in front, play well for a period of time, and stay concentrated when things are not going so well."

Hilário to the rescue
With Petr Čech having been ruled out after undergoing surgery to his lip and chin after a training-ground injury Lampard described as "terrible, one of the worst I've ever seen", Chelsea were hit with another goalkeeping blow after 25 minutes when Carlo Cudicini hobbled off with a pulled hamstring. Hilário deputised ably, pulling off two vital saves in the last ten minutes, with Lampard saying: "You have to give a massive shout to Hilário, because every time he comes in he bales us out with saves like that. It proves we have three top-class keepers at the club."

Different circumstances
Now attention turns to a renewal of their last-four rivalry with Liverpool FC, who have crushed Chelsea's dreams in two of their last three semi-final appearances, in 2005 and again last year. The fact that this time the first game will be staged at Anfield gives Chelsea hope they can make amends. "We're playing in front of our own fans in the second leg and that could help us," said left-back Ashley Cole. "It's vital we try and get the away goal and then keep a clean sheet here like we did tonight." Ballack added: "The games with Liverpool are always very close but unlike last year we are at home in the second leg and little changes like that can mean a lot."