Liverpool advances to Champions group stage

Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt (left) celebrates scoring against Toulouse with teammate Yossi Benayoun during their UEFA Champions League second-leg football match at Anfield, Liverpool, north-west England on Tuesday. Liverpool won 4-0 on the night and is 5-0 after two legs. AFP

Five times champion Liverpool won the third qualifying round tie 5-0 on aggregate after earlier goals by striker Peter Crouch and defender Sami Hyypia in the second leg at Anfield.

Crouch was at the far post to prod home Kuyt's right cross in the 19th minute and double the aggregate advantage with his eighth goal in 10 Champions League appearances for Liverpool.

Finn Hyypia scored with a free header from a corner four minutes into the second half to virtually make the tie safe for Liverpool before Kuyt's late brace - a low cross shot inside the far post from the right and a neat chip past the keeper.

Liverpool dominated the game and should have scored more with Crouch guilty of missing three good chances while Kuyt saw a deflected shot hit the bar.

Before the game there was a moving remembrance for Liverpool boy Rhys Jones, who was tragically shot dead last week.

His parents and brother stood pitch-side as the crowd sang Liverpool terrace anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" and applauded the theme from the TV series Z Cars, a song associated with the boy's favourite club, cross city rival Everton.

Despite his side's dominance, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said he was anxious about the result until Hyypia scored the second goal.

"I was a little bit worried in the first half because we kept giving the ball away and they caused problems on the counter attack," he told reporters.

"We needed to be awake and alert and needed the second goal to kill the game off and then we started enjoying our football.

"It is important to be in the group stage. These kind of games you must treat with caution and now I'm pleased to be looking forward to see the draw and see how far we can go."

Lazio and Rangers joined Liverpool after much tougher second legs away from home.

Rangers held on for a goalless draw away to Red Star Belgrade to clinch a 1-0 win and book its place.

Lazio, already in trouble after a 1-1 draw at home to Dinamo Bucharest two weeks ago, fell behind to a Florin Bratu strike before two goals from Tommaso Rocchi and one from Goran Pandev saw them through 3-1 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate.

After the tragic death of Sevilla's Antonio Puerta on Tuesday, three days after he collapsed on the pitch, the Spanish team's match against AEK Athens was postponed.

Sevilla will now defend its 2-0 lead in the second leg in the Greek capital on September 3.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/30/2007 page23)