Football - Liverpool FC: Even Liverpool’s first victory for a month brings anguish and regret over Champions League exit

Nov 25 2009 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

Football - Liverpool FC: IT is indicative of Liverpool’s ongoing tortuous season that even the much-needed tonic of victory should be greeted with wails of anguish and pangs of regret.

The facts from the Ferenc Puskas Stadium last night will tell how David Ngog’s fourth-minute strike downed Hungarian champions Debrecen to earn Rafael Benitez’s side only their second win in 11 games.

But matters 457 miles away in Florence condemned Liverpool to their first failure to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League under the Spaniard.

A penalty from Fiorentina’s Juan Vargas against an already-qualified Lyon was enough to send the Italians through and boot Liverpool’s players – who had gathered around a television monitor to watch the closing moments at the Stadio Artemio Franchi – off the top table of European football.

But Liverpool weren’t eliminated because of events last night. Nor does the blame lay with the poor first-half showing that resulted in defeat at Fiorentina back in September.

Benitez’s side will ultimately rue the last-minute goals conceded in both games against Lyon that turned a potential four points into just one and wrested their Champions League future out of their own hands.

Once the now irrelevant final group fixture against the Italians is negotiated – has Anfield ever hosted such a pointless European game? – attention will turn to the Europa League, the safety net of which was secured by avoiding defeat in Budapest.

Liverpool budget for progress to the first knockout stage of the Champions League, and the anticipated loss in revenue of £2.4million would be swallowed up by a run in the Europe’s secondary competition.

Not quite the New Year treat Benitez and his players had envisaged at the start of a campaign that harboured hopes of success both home and abroad.

Europe has often provided refuge from domestic failings during Benitez’s reign, but this year they have served only to exacerbate them.

Yes, the Anfield manager has not been helped by a succession of injury problems to key players that have highlighted the summer spending policy forced upon him by the club’s ongoing financial constraints.

But the players who have been available should have produced far better performances and results than they have, and Benitez should be conjuring far greater rewards from his resources.

The laborious 1-0 home win over Debrecen in the opening group game set the tone, with Liverpool struggling to score goals throughout this Champions League campaign.

And with the defence proving worryingly porous, it isn’t difficult to surmise that is a combination that doesn’t exactly encourage success.

Jamie Carragher recalled before the game of how Liverpool’s season fell apart when they last failed to get through the group stage in 2002, yet with Steven Gerrard last night taking a further step towards full fitness and Fernando Torres close to returning, the cavalry is on its way, if too late to salvage their Champions League hopes.

On the night, this was not a performance that will linger long in the memory, despite the fillip of an all-too-rare victory and an even more lesser-spotted clean sheet.

With Yossi Benayoun and Alberto Aquilani only fit enough for the bench, Benitez did not have an array of offensive options at this disposal, although Glen Johnson returned to augment the attack with his raids from right-back.

Debrecen had already shipped 14 goals in the group stages – eight coming in their two previous home games against Lyon and Fiorentina – and it took Liverpool just four minutes to find a way through.

Having again been roundly criticised for their inability to defend set-pieces following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City, it was the turn of Benitez’s side to capitalise on a dead-ball situation.

Javier Mascherano fed a short corner to Fabio Aurelio, whose cross to the far post was headed back across goal by Carragher where Ngog reacted quickest to poke the ball home via the woodwork. Debrecen’s defence simply stood and watched.

The Hungarians had yet to even register a point in Group E, and on their subsequent dismal first-half showing it was easy to see why.

Dirk Kuyt was close to connecting with a diving header from Steven Gerrard’s right-wing cross, while an ambitious Aurelio effort swerved wide of the target.

Liverpool, though, lacked the required threat to further punish the hosts. And when news filtered through of Vargas putting Fiorentina ahead midway through the half, an air of resignation descended upon the travelling support.

Ngog kept Debrecen goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic busy with a brace of efforts, the latter from the edge of the area which solicited a decent parry clear.

Emiliano Insua flashed a shot wide moments after the interval as the second half continued in the same manner with Liverpool pressing without any genuine conviction.

Gerrard was denied by a block from Marcell Fodor and then drew a good save from Poleksic, before Lucas Leiva sent an inviting header wide from Kuyt’s right-wing cross.

Johnson was put in a spot of bother by some dangerously loose play by Insua outside the area, with the ball breaking down the other end for Kuyt to flash an angled effort over.

A clearly bored Daniel Agger, Liverpool’s stellar performer, then sauntered out of defence and threatened to take on the entire Debrecen team before teeing up Gerrard for a shot that flashed wide.

Carragher headed wide before Debrecen finally made Pepe Reina work in the 81st minute when the keeper palmed over a speculative effort from Gergely Rudolf.

And Debrecen almost rubbed salt into Liverpool’s gaping wound during injury time but substitute Adamo Coulibaly struck straight at Reina, although in the end it wouldn’t have made any difference.

“We’re the greatest team in Europe and we’re going to Germany,” sang the Liverpool supporters, thoughts already turning to the Europa League final in Hamburg in May.

Their team may have lost their Champions League place, but the fans haven’t lost their sense of humour.