Liverpool scraped through to the Champions League group stages after a less than convincing 3-2 aggregate victory following a 1-1 draw against Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday.
The 2005 champions were much the better side, particularly in a largely one-sided first half, but still suffered several late scares as Maccabi came close to snatching a shock result.
Beanpole striker Peter Crouch opened the scoring on 54 minutes with a near post header from Jermaine Pennant's cross after the former Birmingham and Arsenal winger had beaten defender Haim Magralishvili.
PHOTO: AP
But nine minutes later Roberto Colautti tapped home the equalizer after Xavier Anderson made a storming run from midfield right at the heart of the Liverpool defense.
Pepe Reina kept out his shot at full stretch but was powerless to prevent Colautti mopping up the rebound.
The English Premiership team dominated the ball in the first half but it was Maccabi who came the closest to scoring on 21 minutes when Alain Masudi's strike was ruled out for a marginal offside.
Luis Garcia was at the heart of most of Liverpool's attacking probes in the first period and three times he was denied by Maccabi goalkeeper Nir Davitovitch.
Xabi Alonso also pulled the trigger on one occasion but his delightful, disguised curling effort sailed just inches wide.
Six minutes after the break, Alonso again went close with a free-kick.
Just three minutes later, though, Crouch managed his first ever European goal.
Maccabi then went close to snatching victory and taking the tie, which had been switched to Kiev over security fears in Israel, into extra time.
With eight minutes left, Collauti hit a stunning long-range curling shot that Reina tipped away.
Six-time European champions AC Milan advanced to the lucrative group stage of the European Champions League beating Red Star Belgrade 2-1
Two-time winner Benfica also made it after a 3-0 victory over Austria Vienna. Another former champion, SV Hamburg, reached the group stage when a 1-1 draw at Spain's Osasuna sent the Bundesliga club through on away goals.
A two-time runner-up, Valencia beat Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 to advance 3-1.
Initially banned from the competition due to its involvement in Italy's match-fixing scandal, Milan was given a reprieve on appeal and allowed back in at the third qualifying round.
Filippo Inzaghi scored with a header in the 28th minute after a perfect cross by Gennaro Gattuso from the edge of the penalty area.
The Serie A team doubled its lead in the 78th on a close-range shot by Clarence Seedorf, the only player to have won the title with three different clubs.
That gave Milan a 3-0 aggregate lead, but a minute later, Dusan Djokic's volley from close reduced Milan's advantage.
Benfica, a seven-time finalist which won the title in 1962 and reached semifinals last season, cruised into the group stage 4-1 on aggregate by outplaying Austria Vienna.
Rui Costa powerfully headed home a cross from Nuno Gomes, who added the second in first-half injury time. Armando Petit added a third in the 57th minute.
Tottenham Hotspur's new boy Dimitar Berbatov scored one goal and set up the second on his Spurs home debut as they beat visitors Sheffield United 2-0 at White Hart Lane on Tuesday.
The Bulgaria striker scored in the seventh minute and was instrumental in the second just 10 minutes later, scored by England international midfielder Jermaine Jenas. Berbatov, signed for ?10.9 million (US$20.6 million) in the pre-season from German side Bayer Leverkeusen, got his first goal in a Spurs shirt thanks to some impressive work from England winger Aaron Lennon.
For the second, Berbatov headed down a pass from Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane into the path of Jenas who clipped the ball over goalkeeper Paddy Kenny.
In Tuesday's other Premier League game, West Ham came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with promoted Watford.
Watford thought they were set for victory in the first English Premiership match at Vicarage Road for six years but visitors West Ham equalized within two minutes to secure a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.
After losing to Everton on the opening day, Watford thought it was headed for victory when Jamaica striker Marlon King scored a stunning goal for the Hornets in the 63rd minute.
The lead lasted just two minutes, however, as Bobby Zamora volleyed a cross from Paul Konchesky for his third goal in two games.
The result earned Watford their first point back in the top flight after winning the Championship play-offs last season under the tenure of rookie manager Aidy Boothroyd.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Taiwan’s top male badminton player, Chou Tien-chen, on Saturday bowed out in the men’s singles semi-finals at the Thailand Open after losing in straight games to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The world No. 6 Chou, seeded fourth at the Super 500 tournament, lost to the world No. 2 Thai 21-7, 21-19 in 53 minutes. The victory improved Vitidsarn’s head-to-head record against Chou to 3-5. Chou, 36, trailed throughout the opening game after the score was tied 2-2. His relatively passive approach allowed the 25-year-old Thai to capitalize on Chou’s defensive clears with powerful smashes while committing few unforced errors. The Taiwanese
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago, but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph. Saturday’s win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French
West Ham United’s 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday left Tottenham Hotspur realistically only needing one more point to win the battle for English Premier League survival, while Bruno Fernandes made history in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Spurs can avoid dropping out of the English top flight for the first time in nearly 50 years with victory at Chelsea today, but a draw would also likely suffice thanks to their much superior goal-difference over West Ham. “Overall bad performance. Too many things [went wrong], I think we gifted them the goals,” West Ham head caoch Nuno Espirito Santo
RSS