Barca stay perfect, Reds rue missed chances

PARIS: Chelsea, Inter Milan and Barcelona won to stay on course for the knockout stages though 2005 winners Liverpool only drew at Atletico Madrid in a subdued night of Champions League action.

Following Tuesday's 36-goal spree, Wednesday's eight matches offered less in that area with only Barcelona's 5-0 thrashing of Basel in Switzerland of note in the goal-scoring stakes.

Chelsea's 1-0 home victory over AS Roma kept them well on course at the top of Group A, Inter Milan thanked Brazilian Adriano for their 1-0 win over Cypriots Anorthosis leaving them as pacesetters in Group B, while Barcelona topped Group C.

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari believed his side were in good form before the return match against AS Roma in November.

"Roma need to pressure us to try to win more than they did today, maybe there we will have more space to play," Scolari said.

"We only have one more Champions League game at home so this was a very important victory."

England skipper John Terry, who got the 77th-minute goal, added: "They made it very difficult for us the whole game but thankfully we got the goal and picked up three points.

"They are a very good side, they have got some great players in their team and made it difficult for us. They worked very hard all night and maybe they deserved something but thankfully we got three points.

"I think in the first half we got a little bit frustrated and were maybe too keen to get a goal. We had to be patient and wait for a chance because sooner or later it will come."

Terry said of his goal: "I think it was my first goal at the Bridge for a couple of years now, so I'm delighted to get off the mark.

"I got a bit of cramp so I couldn't celebrate but I am pleased we got the three points."

Teen sensation Bojan Krkic scored twice as Barcelona cruised past Basel to keep their 100-percent record.

Goals from star Argentinian striker Lionel Messi, Sergi Busquets, two from Krkic and a fifth from Xavi Hernandez brought Barcelona up to an impressive 10 goals from their three victories.

Italian champions Inter Milan were made to battle all the way by a spirited Anorthosis Famagusta at the San Siro.

Adriano scored the winner late on in the first half to put Inter in control of the group with seven points from three games.

Adriano had suffered from depression and a loss of form last season and was eventually loaned out to Sao Paulo but he has come back to form this season, looking leaner and more focused.

The Cypriots did themselves justice, though, by hanging in to the end and they are still in a position to qualify for the knock-out stages after Panathinaikos and Werder Bremen drew 2-2 in Greece.

Liverpool's Irish international Robbie Keane, yet to score in the Premiership, had put the visitors ahead in the 14th minute for his second Champions League goal at Atletico's Vicente Calderon stadium.

The 83rd-minute goal of Simao, whom the Merseysiders tried to sign two years ago, was a blow for Liverpool although both they and Atletico have seven points at the top of Group D.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez said a major miss by Keane had been difficult to accept. "In this situation it doesn't matter how you score, you have to score. That's it," said Benitez.

"You have to finish when you have the chances. We were trying to find the perfect pass. We were in their final third and all we were doing was passing it."

In the group's other match, Marseille coach Eric Gerets suffered a nightmare return to former club PSV Eindhoven as the Dutch beat the French club 2-0 to keep their slim Champions League hopes alive.

It was a gritty double from international striker Danny Koevermans that kept Gerets's side at the bottom of the pool all but ending Marseille's chances of progressing any further. Gerets was furious with his team's performance.

"There was a world of difference between the two sides. I was relieved when the game was over," said Gerets.

"There were a lot of mistakes. We weren't fresh but these are not excuses. We haven't lost hope but we have to be realistic and if we have to concentrate on something it has to be the UEFA Cup (for the third place finishers in the groups)."

AFP

(China Daily 10/24/2008 page23)