
Today it was scrapping by 1-0 against Belgium's Standard Standard Liège in the final qualifying round of the Champions League. Thanks to Dutchman Dirk Kuyt, Liverpool avoided embarrassment and qualified thanks to his 118th minute winner.
Admittedly, I did not watch this match but followed on a couple game-trackers. By all accounts, Liverpool was somewhere between dreadful and awful. Never have I seen the word "shambolic" used so often. Yet it's a results based game and Liverpool lives to play another day and by token of the victory adds £12 to the kitty.
From the cynics behind the keyboards, American defender Oguchi Onyewu wasn't much better for Liège, getting involved in numerous collisions and fouls. Probably not exactly the best game to showcase oneself for a transfer out of Belgium. (Onyewu has been linked to moves in Italy and France.)
In other Champions League qualifiers of note, Arsenal mushed Steve McClaren's 4-0 to advance 6-0 overall. Atlético Madrid dropped FC Shalke 4-0 to eliminate last year's quarterfinals and reducing Germany's entry into the Group Stages to just two. England, Spain and Italy each have four entrants.
The shock result is that FC Bate Borisov trumped Levia Sofia to become the first team from Belarus in the Champions League proper. Making the accomplishment even greater is the team is comprised of players from just Belarus and Russia and not full of Brasilian mercenaries.
Bate joins Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta in the Group Stage, which upset Greece champion Olympiacos 3-1 over two legs.
The draw is tomorrow and rest assured the European powers are keeping their fingers crossed they end up in the same group as the club that gave Alexander Hleb his start.
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