《紅軍陣地》利物浦Fans club

銀~龍

Steve Horton takes another trip back down memory lane to recall a Lverpool victory over Benfica in the European Cup from 1984, and a special night for Ian Rush.

24th October 1984. Liverpool 3 Benfica 1 (European Cup 2nd round 1st leg).
  
Benfica's visit to Anfield is their fourth in the European Cup, meaning they have played here more than any other team in Europe's top competition.
  
The Reds have won all three previous encounters and a repeat of the scoreline on the last time the teams met at Anfield will take us through once again. Then an Ian Rush hat trick set us on course for the quarter finals and helped lift the domestic gloom.
  
After winning a treble the previous season the Reds had struggled to cope with the loss of Graeme Souness, who had left for Sampdoria. We had also begun the season without the prolific Ian Rush, who had suffered a cartilage injury in a friendly game in Ireland. It meant we could only manage two wins in the opening 11 league games and despite Rush's return against Everton the previous weekend, a 1-0 defeat left us perilously close to the relegation zone.
  
Benfica came to Anfield in confident mood, determined to avenge a quarter final defeat we had inflicted on them just six months earlier when the Reds triumphed 4-1 in Lisbon.
  
Their manger that night had been Sven Goran Eriksson, but he had since moved on to Roma and been replaced by Hungarian Pal Csernai. Joe Fagan knew we had a tough task and said beforehand, "Benfica are among the cream of continental clubs so they must command our respect."
  
With Jan Molby struggling to adapt to the English game, Fagan opted to try Mark Lawrenson in midfield with Gary Gillespie coming in for only his fourth Reds start in at centre back.
  
The previous night the nation had been shocked by Michael Burke's report on the 9 o'clock news about famine in Ethiopia. Now, on a rain lashed night in Liverpool less than 30,000 turned up, with some perhaps staying in to watch Coronation Street, where Ken Barlow was pondering having a fling with his secretary. In the pop charts Wham's Freedom was the number one single with U2's Unforgettable Fire topping the album listings.
  
With the Reds kicking into the Kop the first half passed without much incident, with Rush still showing signs of rustiness after a long lay off. But in the 44th minute we took the lead when Lawrenson surged to the bye-line and crossed for John Wark, whose prodded effort was turned into the net from two yards out by Rush.
  
As the rain got more torrential in the second half Benfica equalised when Gillespie slipped and lost control of the ball following a long throw by Bento. This allowed Diamentino in who coolly slotted the ball past Grobbelaar from a narrow angle. The game was now on a knife edge as Liverpool struggled to play flowing football in the conditions, although. However Kenny Dalglish did go close with a great lob and ultimately our persistence paid off on 71 minutes when Ronnie Whelan's shot was turned in by Rush.
  
In the 76th minute Rush completed his hat trick when he was first to react when Bento could only parry a Whelan effort. Bento was perhaps even more erratic than Grobbelaar, although Brucie did a great job of rugby tackling a pitch invader who spent several moments in front of the Kop as stewards appeared reluctant to risk the embarrassment of a chase in the rain.

銀~龍

All the relevant facts and figures ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash with Benfica, from LFC statistician Ged Rea.

Liverpool's European Record (overall): Pld 258 Won 147 Drawn 56 Lost 55.
  
Liverpool's record in European Cup: Pld 127 Won 75 Drawn 27 Lost 25.
  
This is the fourth time Liverpool and Benfica have met in Europe with the Reds emerging as winners in the tie each time. In fact Liverpool have then gone on to reach the final on each occasion.
  
In major European competition Liverpool will now have faced Benfica more times (four) than any other team.
  
This will be the seventh time Liverpool have met Portuguese opposition in Europe. Four times they have gone on to the Final. Apart from Benfica they have also played Vitoria Setubal, FC Porto and Boavista-the latter being the only team before now from Portugal that the Reds have opposed in the Champions League.
  
Vitoria Setubal are the only Portuguese side to eliminate Liverpool from Europe doing so on away goals in the 1969-70 Fairs Cup. Liverpool, as they do now, trailed 1-0 from the first leg.
  
In the first leg Liverpool set a new club record of 573 minutes in Europe without conceding a goal. The previous record was 561 minutes set during the 1983-84 European Cup campaign. The team that ended that run…Benfica.
  
Only a 1-0 win for Liverpool can take the game into extra-time. The last time the Reds played extra-time in a two-legged tie was in 1981 when they lost at CSKA Sofia in the European Cup. The score after ninety minutes of the second leg was 1-1 on aggregate.
  
The last tie at Anfield to see extra-time was in 1968 when Liverpool eventually lost to Athletic Bilbao on the toss of a coin in the Fairs Cup.
  
Sami Hyypia will be hoping to make his 50th appearance for Liverpool in this competition tonight. Only Phil Neal with 57 has made more appearances for Liverpool in the European Cup. He went off injured at half-time on Saturday against Charlton. He has played every minute of the last 57 European games for Liverpool since he missed the game with Borussia Dortmund at Anfield in October 2001.
  
Liverpool have conceded 99 goals in their European Cup history.
  
Luisao's goal in the first leg is the only one that Liverpool have conceded in their last six games.
  
Should Liverpool prevent Benfica from scoring it will be the first time in 22 seasons that the Reds have kept 30 clean sheets in a season and only the seventh time in their history they have achieved the feat.
  
Liverpool have conceded only one goal in the last 15 games at home this season.
  
Robbie Fowler has scored once for Liverpool in the European Cup-against FC Haka in a Qualifying Round tie in August 2001.
  
Liverpool's last hat-trick in Europe was scored by Michael Owen in Moscow against Spartak in October 2002.
  
The Reds have scored 14 hat-tricks in Europe and only Owen (twice) has achieved the feat away from home.
Liverpool have been defeated in an away first leg and yet come back to win the tie on nine previous occasions. The last time was in 1991 when they won 3-0 at Anfield against Auxerre after losing 2-0 away.
  
The last time they achieved the feat in the European Cup came in 1982 when they overturned a one goal first-leg deficit by beating JK Helsinki 5-0.
  
The Reds have won five and drawn one of the six games played against Portuguese opposition at Anfield.
  
Against Benfica the Reds have scored eight goals in the three previous meetings on this ground.
  
Robbie Fowler in the first leg became the 25th different player used by the Reds in Europe this season.
  
In the group stages Benfica qualified as runners-up to Villarreal after beating Manchester United 2-1 in their final game. They won two, drew two and lost two of the six games.
  
Last season Benfica won the Portuguese league with 65 points - three more than nearest challengers Porto. It was their 31st title (a national record) and their first Championship since 1994.
  
They lost in the Cup Final 2-1 to Vitoria Setubal thus failing to add to their record 24 successes.
  
Benfica have not won in any of their previous 10 away games in the Champions League. In that time they have drawn six and lost four.
  
They have won the European Cup twice-in 1961 against Barcelona and the following year they defeated Real Madrid. In charge at the time was the legendary Hungarian-born coach Bela Guttmann.
  
In that Final against Real, Benfica conceded three goals (all to the great Ferenc Puskas) but scored five themselves. The next winning team to concede three in the Final were Liverpool in 2005.
  
They were the first team after Real Madrid to win the trophy. The Spaniards were champions from 1956-60.
  
Apart from winning it twice Benfica have also lost in the Final five times (an unwanted record shared with Juventus). They were beaten in 1963, 1965, 1968 (to Manchester United), 1988 (in a shoot-out to PSV Eindhoven) and in 1990.
  
In the 1988 Final that they lost on penalties the first man to score for PSV in the shoot-out was current Benfica coach Ronald Koeman. Four years later Koeman scored the only goal of the Final for Barcelona against Sampdoria at Wembley.
  
This is the fourth season that Koeman has coached a team in the Champions League. He was in charge of Ajax for a third successive campaign last season.
  
Benfica have played in England in Europe on nine occasions and have lost eight. On the other occasion they beat Arsenal 3-1 at Highbury in the European Cup in the 1991/92 season.
  
Benfica have used four different goalkeepers in this season's Champions League - they have only played seven games.
  
Laurent Robert has scored in each of his last two games for the club.

銀~龍

Steve Horton takes another trip back down memory lane to recall a Lverpool victory over Benfica in the European Cup from 1984, and a special night for Ian Rush.

24th October 1984. Liverpool 3 Benfica 1 (European Cup 2nd round 1st leg).
  
Benfica's visit to Anfield is their fourth in the European Cup, meaning they have played here more than any other team in Europe's top competition.
  
The Reds have won all three previous encounters and a repeat of the scoreline on the last time the teams met at Anfield will take us through once again. Then an Ian Rush hat trick set us on course for the quarter finals and helped lift the domestic gloom.
  
After winning a treble the previous season the Reds had struggled to cope with the loss of Graeme Souness, who had left for Sampdoria. We had also begun the season without the prolific Ian Rush, who had suffered a cartilage injury in a friendly game in Ireland. It meant we could only manage two wins in the opening 11 league games and despite Rush's return against Everton the previous weekend, a 1-0 defeat left us perilously close to the relegation zone.
  
Benfica came to Anfield in confident mood, determined to avenge a quarter final defeat we had inflicted on them just six months earlier when the Reds triumphed 4-1 in Lisbon.
  
Their manger that night had been Sven Goran Eriksson, but he had since moved on to Roma and been replaced by Hungarian Pal Csernai. Joe Fagan knew we had a tough task and said beforehand, "Benfica are among the cream of continental clubs so they must command our respect."
  
With Jan Molby struggling to adapt to the English game, Fagan opted to try Mark Lawrenson in midfield with Gary Gillespie coming in for only his fourth Reds start in at centre back.
  
The previous night the nation had been shocked by Michael Burke's report on the 9 o'clock news about famine in Ethiopia. Now, on a rain lashed night in Liverpool less than 30,000 turned up, with some perhaps staying in to watch Coronation Street, where Ken Barlow was pondering having a fling with his secretary. In the pop charts Wham's Freedom was the number one single with U2's Unforgettable Fire topping the album listings.
  
With the Reds kicking into the Kop the first half passed without much incident, with Rush still showing signs of rustiness after a long lay off. But in the 44th minute we took the lead when Lawrenson surged to the bye-line and crossed for John Wark, whose prodded effort was turned into the net from two yards out by Rush.
  
As the rain got more torrential in the second half Benfica equalised when Gillespie slipped and lost control of the ball following a long throw by Bento. This allowed Diamentino in who coolly slotted the ball past Grobbelaar from a narrow angle. The game was now on a knife edge as Liverpool struggled to play flowing football in the conditions, although. However Kenny Dalglish did go close with a great lob and ultimately our persistence paid off on 71 minutes when Ronnie Whelan's shot was turned in by Rush.
  
In the 76th minute Rush completed his hat trick when he was first to react when Bento could only parry a Whelan effort. Bento was perhaps even more erratic than Grobbelaar, although Brucie did a great job of rugby tackling a pitch invader who spent several moments in front of the Kop as stewards appeared reluctant to risk the embarrassment of a chase in the rain.
The hat trick marked a remarkable return to the side for Rush and he would later describe it as an unforgettable night that had sent him into orbit.
  
Fagan was delighted for the returning hero, saying that Rush set an example to his colleagues by his all round play, not just by his ability to stick the ball in the net. However there would be no fifth European Cup win that year as the season came to a tragic end amidst the terrible events of Heysel.
  
Liverpool: Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Whelan, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Rush, Wark, Gillespie.

銀~龍

Benfica head coach Ronald Koeman has spoken about the dangers posed to his team by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and has labelled him as one of the best players in Europe.  
Koeman admitted his side were perhaps a touch fortunate to win the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon, but feels Liverpool will be a much tougher proposition with Gerrard back in the team. The Reds captain was on the bench for the first game because of a dead leg.
  
"Steven Gerrard is one of the very best, whether he plays on the right or in midfield," enthused Koeman.
  
"He can decide games on his own. He makes the crosses, he makes passes and shoots. We know that we have to control him.
  
"We know we must play better than we did in the first leg - maybe we were a little lucky to score so late in the game.
  
"But that is football - matches are decided on very little details."

銀~龍

Get in the mood for tonight's clash with Benfica by recalling the night we turned around a deficit to see off the challenge of Olympiakos as we took another step towards Istanbul in last season's competition.  
Things looked bleak against the Greeks last year when Rivaldo scored a free-kick to further increase Olympiakos' advantage in the match, but goals from substitutes Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Neil Mellor gave the Reds hope. Then with four minutes remaining Mellor headed a ball down to Steven Gerrard and the Liverpool captain did the rest to complete a memorable comeback.
  
The stage is set for another joyous European evening at Anfield, and hopefully the memories of Olympiakos will inspire the reigning European champions to overturn their 1-0 defecit and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

銀~龍

There's one undeniably brilliant thing about the Reds going into the second leg of a European game a goal behind: you know that the Kop will be acting as 12th, maybe even 13th and 14th man.
All the great Anfield nights have occurred when the Reds needed to win, rather than merely avoid defeat. Adversity brings out the best of the Kop, and they in turn will draw the high-tempo game out of the players that the manager will crave.
  
St Etienne, Auxerre, Barcelona, Roma, Olympiakos and Chelsea – each time, the tie was either delicately poised at 0-0, or, for a variety of reasons, Liverpool had to win, and often by at least two clear goals. Then there were the mid-90s battles against Strasbourg and PSG, where the Reds trailed 3-0 from the first leg, and won the Anfield game 2-0, coming incredibly close to levelling the ties late on.
  
For these games, the crowd turns up knowing precisely what part it has to play, and rather than wait for the team to rouse them, as can sometime happen, they know it is they who have to set the tone.
  
After all, the players only take to the pitch once the crowd is in place and, hopefully, in full voice. The unveiling of the hugely impressive 'Liverbanner', organised by my friends at redandwhitekop.net, will only add to the sense of occasion building around this match.
  
Look at the contrast in the games against Roma a few years back. I was fortunate enough to be in Rome in February 2001 for the amazing 2-0 victory, secured by Michael Owen's goals; with the tie seemingly won, the return leg saw a Roma team with nothing to lose come at Liverpool, and but for the penalty that the referee awarded the Italians, before bizarrely turning it into a corner, the tie could have been 2-2 with plenty of time to play.
  
The following season, in the Champions League, the Reds had only drawn 0-0 in the earlier group game against Roma, and needed a two-goal win in the return, in the final game of the group stages, to progress. It happened, following a tidal wave of Liverpoolattacks, and where the atmosphere was 100 times better than in 2001.
  
I still believe that if Liverpool had to beat Arsenal in 1989, rather than avoid a two-goal defeat, the Reds would have won the league. When you simply need to avoid defeat, you are not sure whether to defend, or to use attack as the best form of defence. At 1-0 down going into the second half, there was so much tension in the Reds' ranks, as they didn't know whether to attack or sit and try and see out the 90 minutes; resulting in 90th minute heartbreak.
  
I'd be much more nervous and apprehensive about tonight if the Reds were 1-0 up, as then it becomes difficult to know how to approach the game, and the players can get caught between two stools. Having said that, such is the expert defending these days, especially at Anfield, I'd be far happier defending a 1-0 lead than in the past. But such games are rarely easy to endure.
  
I will be shocked, stunned and agog if Liverpool do not play especially well against Benfica tonight, backed by a wall of sound; and in so doing, create plenty of chances. Of course, with recent profligacy and the inspired performances of visiting goalkeepers on everyone's mind, that doesn't guarantee a result. On the positive side, another 1-0 win – the familiar result denied Liverpool on Saturday by a poor last-minute offside decision – would be enough to at least take the tie to extra time.
  
The Charlton game will not prove indicative of the form the Reds will show against Benfica. While not an excuse anyone will want to use, the game before big European nights can often be an anti-climax. I think it's a natural human reaction to conserve a little energy in one encounter just days before a bigger, more important one.
  
In an ideal world footballers would play at the same intense level for 60 games a season; in reality, that happens nowhere in the world, and will not until players are replaced by machines. I believe that, psychologically – and maybe sometimes subconsciously – players prioritise.
  
A manager certainly has to do so; maybe not so much in a 'normal' season, when his team exits all cups at early hurdles and is just focusing on the weekly league game. But in this extraordinary season, with six extra Champions League qualifiers, the European Super Cup, the World Club Championships, the Champions League itself, and a succession of increasingly tough games in the FA Cup, there has to be a certain amount of juggling involved. Especially when, as a break in the fixtures finally appears, everyone disappears on international duty.
  
If the Reds were hot on Chelsea's heels, then I'd have expected a bigger 'feel' to the Charlton game – in that situation it could have counted towards a league title, after all – and as a result, a better performance.
  
As things stand, with Chelsea too far ahead to catch, and the top-three position looking fairly assured, the Champions League game becomes the crucial must-win fixture. Yes, everyone wants to finish above Manchester United; but not as much as getting to another European Cup final. While far from the Reds' best showing of the season, but for fine keeping and a mistakenly raised offside flag, Liverpool could have beaten Charlton 4-0.
  
But the Reds will also need the slice of luck that's been missing in some recent games. Just look at Manchester United's last minute winner at Wigan: exact same time in the match as Fowler's 'goal' against Charlton, similar pass to one side of the penalty area, but whereas Fowler's clean right-footed strike went in (only to be disallowed), Luis Saha's shot deflects off a defender, hits the post, comes back and cannons off another defender and goes in.
  
29 games and counting
  
It's a long time since a team has got the better of the Reds over two games in Europe. It's worth remembering that in this day and age, you can get thrashed twice by a team in the group stages and still qualify for the knock-out phases.
  
And yet last season, despite 1-0 away defeats at Olympiakos and Monaco, and a 0-0 draw at home to Deportivo La Coruna, the Reds would have defeated each of them over two legs, had it been a two-legged knock-out – having won in Spain, and beaten Monaco and Olympiakos by two clear goals. So no team got the better of Liverpool over two games, even in the league format.
  
That trend continued in the six qualifiers last summer, and in this season's group phase, when the Reds bettered Real Betis and Anderlecht over two games, with the spoils shared with Chelsea. Olympique Marseille were the last team to come out on top against the Reds over two games, back in March 2004, some 29 European games ago.
  
Hopefully that run can stretch to 30 tonight. Whatever happens, Benfica will know they've been in a game, and that they felt the full force of the Kop.

銀~龍

Luis Garcia has sprung to the defence of Liverpool's under fire strikers and has backed the likes of Robbie Fowler, Peter Crouch, Fernando Morientes and Djibril Cisse to help the team to beat Benfica and reach the last eight of the Champions League.  
The Reds number 10 scored five goals during last season's Champions League triumph and would like nothing more than scoring against Benfica at Anfield on Wednesday night.
  
"I have faith in our front men as we have four of the best strikers in Europe," argued Garcia.
  
"Robbie Fowler is a legend, Fernando Morientes has won three of the four Champions League finals he's played in, Djibril Cisse is a very fast, strong striker and Peter Crouch is on his way to becoming a very, very good striker.
  
"We need their goals and I think the team can fully exploit the ability they have. We can't forgive ourselves for failing to score in the first match. Scoring goals is something we have to improve on.
  
"For most of the match we were in control against Benfica, but that counts for little if you don't score. We had chances but sometimes the ball doesn't go in. It was one of those nights.
  
"Liverpool are definitely not a defensive team. We always have a solid defence but the aim is to build from the back and turn our play into attacks.
  
"It's true that we're having problems scoring goals and it's hard to know why because we have a midfield full of goalscorers and we also have magnificent strikers.
  
"Everyone in this team is capable of scoring decisive goals. It could be Gerrard, it could be Xabi Alonso and it could also be me, as it was sometimes last season in the Champions League."

銀~龍

Steven Gerrard today urged his team-mates to create another epic Anfield night as the Reds look to keep a tight grip on their Champions League crown.  
Liverpool will start against Benfica tonight trailing by a single goal and knowing they'll need to find the back of the net at some point during the game to continue the defence of their trophy.
  
"We have to show everyone why we're European Champions," says the Reds skipper.
  
"We deserved the title last year for the way we came back and this is our biggest test so for in this year's competition. We've got the belief and confidence to get the result we need."
  
"I know it sounds strange to take something positive from a negative result, but when we were in the dressing room after the game in Portugal, none of us was thinking we've blown it.
  
"There is just something about this team, this group of players and our fans which almost relishes being up against it.
  
"I've felt some of our least impressive European performances have been in games where we've been protecting a lead or happy with a draw. It can be dangerous when you're in a negative mindset and you're caught between attacking or sitting on what you've got. It's when we've known we've had to go for it you've seen the best out of us.
  
"That's the situation we're in now and that's why we're all looking forward to tonight so much. We won't know until after the game if it's going to be the same again, but last year fighting against the odds actually helped us. We've got to play at a high tempo from the start and look for goals. We also know we've got to be careful about how we go about it, but I'm sure you're going to see us at our best tonight.
  
"I expect Benfica to be organised, not giving anything away and trying to play on the break, so the onus is going to be on us to break them down. We've got the players to do that.
  
"Benfica have a lot of respect for us and they'll be well aware of what we did at Anfield last season. They know they're going to have to produce one of their best performances to knock us out, so we've got to make sure that doesn't happen.
  
"We're used to being in this situation. Ideally we wouldn't have slipped up on a set-piece and conceded that goal, but we now find ourselves in an identical situation to the one against Olympiakos. We knew we had to beat them by two goals.
  
"We've also got our own fans behind us and when they make the kind of noise they do on a European night, it really helps us.
  
"The players here still talk about the crowd on the night we beat Chelsea, and how their singing 45 minutes before kickoff got everyone in the dressing room going. It was a massive help, and it will be again tonight."

銀~龍

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世界波...
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柱都中埋-.-......

利物浦加西亞

想點丫 係時候入波啦 兩條柱都中哂囉

書2童子

唉.......睇住d時間係咁過,個心係咁沉...

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高治做咩唔頂ar-.-...

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謝拉特黃牌tim><....

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得番15分鐘唔夠,點算...?