Ryan Babel is pointed off the pitch by referee Jonas
Eriksson after being shown a red card. (Photo: PA)
APRIL 2
Babel
sorry for red card
Sky Sports
Ryan Babel admits he feels guilty about
his sending off against Benfica after Liverpool lost 2-1 to
the Portuguese side in their Europa League quarter-final.
The Dutchman was given his marching orders for raising a
hand towards Benfica captain Luisao following a
confrontation with the Brazilian after a foul on Fernando
Torres.
The sending off proved costly as Liverpool were leading 1-0
at the time before Benfica made their numerical advantage
count with two second half penalties to gain a lead for the
second leg at Anfield next week.
Babel felt the dismissal was harsh and he apologised to his
team-mates for leaving them to play for over an hour with
just 10 men.
Harsh
"The referee told me the red card was for touching Luisao's
face - that was it," Babel told the club's official website.
"It was clear that Luisao had made an awful foul and all I
wanted to do was back up Fernando. Luisao came over all loud
and in my face.
"All I wanted to do was try and back him off. I just told
him not to come too close. But the referee still gives me a
red card. But I did it.
"I think maybe it was a little bit too harsh. It might have
been a stupid, silly thing for me to touch him in the face
but I thought a yellow card would have been fair enough. But
if they are the rules, what can I do? Luisao came too close
to me. He was pushing and very loud, straight in my face but
they (Benfica's players) made it bigger than it was."
Mistake
Babel added: "I will learn from the mistake and it won't
happen again. As a team, we were in control in the first 30
minutes and we had got our goal.
"For myself, I had felt good. I felt a bit unlucky with a
couple of my early dribbles but I was confident that I could
grow into the game.
"I have spoken to the lads and said sorry. But it is good
and I felt they were behind me. They fought all the way and
I am confident we can do well in the next game.
"I feel very guilty that we lost but a big complement to the
team is that we were still comfortable with 10 men.
Hopefully we will get the good result we need."
APRIL 1
Babel red
baffles Rafa
Sky Sports
Rafa Benitez admits it is 'difficult to
understand' why Ryan Babel was sent off in Liverpool's 2-1
Europa League defeat by Benfica.
Babel was dismissed just after the half-hour mark in Lisbon
after putting his hand in the face of Benfica defender
Luisao, who had just committed a poor challenge on Fernando
Torres.
Liverpool were leading at the time of the incident and Reds
boss Benitez felt Luisao's tackle on Torres was a more
serious offence than the one which led to Babel's red card.
"I was surprised because a foul from behind is more serious
for me," said Benitez.
"I would like to analyse the foul before. And after, when
one player is shouting in front of the referee after he
already has a yellow card.
"It is a big difference when you kick a player from behind
to a player touching another in the mouth.
"It's difficult to understand and impossible to change so we
have to move forward and think about Anfield and our fans
behind the team.
"Always when decisions are made against your team, you don't
like it. But you cannot change it and the only way now is to
try to be positive and think about our fans behind the team
and playing with 12 men at Anfield."
Good result
Oscar Cardozo scored two second-half penalties to earn
Benfica a first-leg victory, but Benitez remains confident
Liverpool can reach the semi-finals of the competition.
He added: "It is half-time for us. We have one more game and
we have to be confident we can progress.
"The performance was good as we played for 60 minutes with
10 players. I am disappointed because we had some chances
and could have done better.
"We knew Benfica are a good team with quality and pace and
they were dangerous.
"To concede two goals to two penalties and have one goal
disallowed is disappointing, but still it is a good result."
Benitez also explained his decision to bring off Torres and
captain Steven Gerrard in the final stages of the game
despite Liverpool trailing.
"Both were really tired and we needed some fresh legs," he
said. "Yossi and Ngog were doing their jobs because it was
not easy to keep the tempo. They were attacking and had to
go back.
"You can see from the chance of Fernando he was really
tired."
APRIL 1
Lucas hails 'important' away goal
TEAMtalk
Lucas Leiva is hoping Daniel Agger's early
goal in Liverpool's 2-1 Europa League quarter-final
first-leg loss to Benfica could prove decisive.
The Denmark defender opened the scoring at the Estadio da
Luz but the Reds went down to two second-half penalties,
both converted by Oscar Cardozo, after Ryan Babel was
dismissed on the half-hour for thrusting a hand in Luisao's
face.
Lucas told Five: "We are really disappointed. We started
really well in the game and scored an early goal. We created
some chances even with 10 men.
"Now we have to keep going and try to go through at Anfield.
The away goal always is important, we knew that.
"We'll try to score one goal at Anfield and go to the
semi-finals.
"We worked really hard. It's always difficult to play with
one less player but I think we showed character and
quality."
The Liverpool team appeared far from impressed by the
display of Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson, not only for his
decision to send off Babel but also for letting several
hefty challenges on Fernando Torres go unpunished.
Centre-back Luisao took exception to a tackle by Babel and
subsequently hacked right through the back of Torres, who
had already been on the end of some severe punishment.
A melee ensued in which Luisao continued his protest at
Babel and the Dutchman responded by pushing the Brazilian in
the face.
On the red card, Lucas said: "The referee just said it was
'hands to face' - something like that.
"To be honest, we don't want to talk about the referee.
"I think everyone saw the game and you can analyse better
than us. We'll just keep going now. We have an important
game in the Premier League and then we'll try to go through
to the semi-finals."
He added: "For both penalties, the linesman told the referee
it was a penalty. We can't argue now. The game is gone."
APRIL 1
Night
of terror for Reds
BreakingNews.ie
Ten-man Liverpool were undone by two harsh
penalty decisions and an at-times shambolic refereeing
display as they lost 2-1 to Benfica in a hostile Europa
League quarter-final first leg in Lisbon.
Daniel Agger gave his side the perfect start in the
ninth-minute but things took a turn for the worse when Ryan
Babel was dismissed on the half-hour for thrusting a hand in
Luisao’s face.
Oscar Cardozo wasted numerous chances before converting two
spot-kicks but with an away goal Rafael Benitez’s side still
have hope for the return leg.
Benitez had said before the game he did not expect the
Portuguese league leaders to target striker Fernando Torres
– but he was wrong.
The Spain international was on the receiving end of some
hefty challenges which Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson seemed
content to leave unpunished.
It was no surprise to see Torres withdrawn before the end,
firstly to avoid injury and secondly to prevent him getting
a booking which would rule him out of the second leg at
Anfield.
Playing against a backdrop of a cacophony of noise and, in
the second half, a stream of fireworks aimed at Jose Reina’s
goal, Liverpool had the ideal start.
Maxi Pereira’s ninth-minute foul on Steven Gerrard gave the
Liverpool captain a chance to whip in a dangerous free-kick
from just left of the penalty area.
However, with the hosts massed around the six-yard area the
midfielder fooled everyone by rolling a low pass in towards
the penalty spot where Agger produced a classy backheel into
the corner of the net.
It was reminiscent of a similar move which saw the Denmark
defender score in the Champions League semi-final against
Chelsea in May 2007, although that one was hit with more
power.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Benfica’s European top scorer
this season, Cardozo, could not show the same composure as
he squandered three good chances in quick succession.
The profligacy was contagious as Pablo Aimar’s usually
reliable first touch let him down as he looked to beat
Reina, making his 250th appearance for the club.
Ramires was next to head over at the far post from a cross
by Di Maria, whose shot from 25 yards fizzed just over
Reina’s crossbar in the 28th minute as the pressure built.
The highly-charged atmosphere exploded on the half-hour when
referee Eriksson appeared to completely lose control.
Centre-back Luisao took exception to a tackle by Babel and
subsequently hacked right through the back of Torres, who
had already been on the end of some severe punishment.
A melee ensued in which Luisao continued his protest at
Babel and the Dutchman responded by pushing the Brazilian in
the face.
The Swedish official showed the Benfica defender a yellow
card and then flashed a red at Liverpool’s Holland
international – sparking a sustained but fruitless protest
by Liverpool’s entire team.
David Luiz was next to go into the book for clattering
Torres in the 37th minute and the Spain striker thought he
had exacted the perfect revenge when he volleyed home Julio
Cesar’s weak punch from Gerrard’s free-kick – only to be
denied by an offside flag.
Emiliano Insua was booked for pulling back Di Maria just
before the break, ruling him out of the second leg.
Within four minutes of the restart Cardozo planted one
header straight at Reina and the other over from five yards
and you sensed just maybe it was going to be Liverpool’s
night.
But, after a stray firework landed close to the fourth
official next to Reina’s goal, their luck changed.
Cardozo’s 59th-minute free-kick rattled back off the
right-hand post and when Aimar went down under Insua’s
tackle chasing the rebound Eriksson pointed to the penalty
spot.
This time Cardozo finally hit the target to beat Reina.
In the 76th minute Torres had a glorious chance to put his
side back in front - and score his first Liverpool goal on
foreign soil since March 11 2008 – but with only Cesar to
beat he dragged his shot wide from Kuyt’s pass.
It was to prove costly as two minutes later Di Maria’s cross
hit Carragher as he slid in to tackle and the fourth
official signalled a penalty for handball.
The defender was booked and Cardozo scored his second
spot-kick of the night.
With more fireworks raining down behind Liverpool’s goal
towards the end Benitez’s side were fortunate to leave
Lisbon with just a one-goal deficit.
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