Liverpool have drawn 0-0 with Juventus in Turin. Liverpool will now play Chelsea in the semi-final with the aggregate score 2-1.
Djibril Cisse played for the last 15 minutes, replacing a tired Milan Baros, who may now have made his last start for Liverpool. Xabi Alonso managed to play the full 90 minutes showing no signs of the injury that had ruled him out for the whole of this year so far.
Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher had excellent performances in the centre of defence. Watching the game back now that it’s over will show that Liverpool were rarely threatened, but watching the game in the circumstances of one goal being enough to send Liverpool out meant that it was very tense. In the end it was Liverpool’s outstanding opening 30 minutes last week at Anfield that made the difference.
Result: Champions League Quarter Final 2nd Leg: Juventus (1) 0 v Liverpool (2) 0
Juventus: Buffon; Thuram, Montero (Booked), Cannavaro(Pessotto 82); Camoranesi(Appiah 83), Emerson (Booked), Olivera (Zalayeta, 46), Zambrotta (Booked); Nedved; Ibrahimovic (Booked), Del Piero; Other Subs: Chimenti, Birindelli, Blasi, Masiello.
Liverpool: Dudek; Finnan (Booked), Hyypia, Carragher, Traore; Nunez (Smicer 57), Biscan, Alonso (Booked), Riise; Garcia(Le Tallec 85); Baros (Cisse 75). Other Subs: Carson, Warnock, Welsh, Potter.
FULL TIME: It’s all over. Liverpool are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
90:00 + 2:00 Dudek gathers a shot as the game enters the final minute of stoppage time.
90:00 + 1:00 Buffon miskicks giving Liverpool a throw in and a chance to eat up time.
90:00 Stoppage time. Three minutes to be added on.
89:00 One minute plus stoppage time remaining, as the game enters an extremely tense period. One mistake could change the result.
85:00 Liverpool change – Luis Garcia is replaced by Anthone Le Tallec.
83:00 Free kick saved by Dudek.
83:00 Camaronesi replaced by Appiah.
82:00 Cannavaro replaced by Pessotto.
81:00 Cisse blocked – free kick to Liverpool. Free kick met by Hyypia’s head, he hits it just over the bar.
80:00 Last ten minutes now and Liverpool have survived some hairy moments. Can they survive the next ten minutes?
77:00 Needless challenge by Finnan sees him booked. Very dangerous free kick for Juve now.Level with the penalty area. Ball hits the post, and then has to be scrambled off the line. Corner to Juve. Cleared
75:00 Substition – Djibril Cisse makes his return, in place of Milan Baros.
74:00 Emerson booked for retaliation – missed his next European match. Juve free kick midway into Liverpool half. Kick had to be saved by Dudek, who forced the ball out for a throw in.
73:00 Corner to Juventus. Headed out by Hyypia. Ball back into the box, headed out again by Hyypia.
70:00 Twenty minutes to go, and Liverpool have played very well so far. Unfortunately Baros is not the right player to be playing as a lone striker tonight, as he’s not been able to get and keep possession enough. Liverpool have managed to keep the Juve fans pretty quiet, a good sign usually.
69:00 Biscan brought down on the end of the box, no foul given by the official.
64:00 Zambrotta booked.
63:00 Good save by Dudek from Emerson header.
62:00 Ibrahimovic booked.
61:00 Smicer down injured already. Facial injury, OK to continue.
60:00 Liverpool have now survived the hour, and have made some chances themselves. Juventus still look extremely dangerous.
59:00 Foul by Carragher gives Juve a free-kick outside the box. Cleared.
57:00 Antonio Nunez replaced by Vladimir Smicer.
56:00 Shot at goal from Baros blocked by Cannavaro. Corner. Cleared. Both sides attacking more now.
51:00 Paulo Montero booked for foul on Garcia. Liverpool free kick 35 yards out, runs out of play.
49:00 Milan Baros drags the ball wide of Buffons’ goa after some hard work. Chance wasted as the game starts to liven up.
Second Half: Juventus substition: Zalayeta replaces Olivera
Half-time.
45:00 Stoppage time. 2 minutes indicated.
43:00 Juventus corner. Taken short, eventually a shot from outside the area from Emerson goes wide.
40:00 Liverpool need to get through the next five minutes unscathed so that Rafa Benitez can tweak the tactics. There’s not really been any outstandingly good or bad performances from anyone wearing a red shirt so far, but as we’ve said, Juve only need one goal, then they can shut up shop.
35:00 Liverpool now seem to be soaking up pressure more than ever in this game. Baros is struggling to hold the ball up when it’s played forward to him.
32:00 Free kick in dangerous position for Juve, goes out for a corner. More pressure from the corner but eventually Liverpool regain posession with a free kick.
30:00 Liverpool have got through the first half-hour without conceding, but Milan Baros has rarely touched the ball. This score would be enough for the reds to go through,but one goal from Juve would see them through on away goals.
28:30 Xabi Alonso booked for trying to slow down the taking of a free kick.
25:00 Xabi Alonso has now made more than one tackle that proves he’s not planning to pull out of anything despite the injury. Juventus have been caught offside numerous times now as they start to put more pressure on the Reds.
15:00 Control of the game not really being taken yet by either team. Liverpool certainly playing a cautious game, but not too defensive. Xabi Alonso is trying to conserve his energy – like a small Jan Molby.
10:40 Ibrahimovic wastes a chance blazing over the bar from around 12 yards.
10:00 No real chances yet for either side, contest quite evenly balanced. Liverpool not over-committing men forward.
05:00 Ibrahimovic shoots wide, but offside was given first.
00:00 The match gets underway, Liverpool kick off.
Liverpool’s captain tonight is Sami Hyypia who led the Liverpool team out into a far from full stadium.
Some pictures have been shown on television of Juventus supporters throwing plastic water bottles at Liverpool fans, who were throwing them back. This seems to have been an isolated incident but will no doubt be a main part of reports after the game. There are also banners visible from Juve fans saying, "Easy to speak, difficult to pardon" and "Murders!".
Rafa Benitez before the game said, " We will try and play not too deep. Milan and Luis Garcia will play up front. Jerzy Dudek has experience, and I decided to go for experience. We will try to play with a high tempo. We will try if it is possible to score. We will use Xabi (Alonso) in front of our defenders, because right now he has no pace. if we score before them, maybe they will be nervous. I have told my players we have nothing to lose. We will try and score and win.W
All the talk in the build-up to this game has been about events off the field. No problems reported tonight, so we’re hoping now we can concentrate on the pitch.