Marseille vs Liverpool, 2008/09 UEFA Champions League, 2008 First Phase

· UEFA Champions League

Marseille

23': Lorik Cana

FT
1 - 2

Liverpool

26': Steven Gerrard
32': Steven Gerrard (P)

About

Marseille are hosting Liverpool at Orange Vélodrome, Marseille, France, starting on . The match is a part of the UEFA Champions League.

Match Timeline

0': Join us at 1945 BST to see if Rafa's Reds can rout Marseille at the Stade Velodrome like they did in last year's Champions League.
0': Good evening footy fans and welcome to the opening matches in the group stages of the monumental cash cow that is, the Champions League.
0': Marseille host Liverpool in southern France tonight, just as they did in last year's competition, when they were on the end of a 4-0 drubbing. I'm dubious as to whether a similar rout is on the cards tonight though despite the Reds toppling the Red Devils at the weekend.
0': Marseille have had a cracking start to the season, winning three and drawing two of their five games to date. They're sharing the goals around too, Bakari Koné has three, Mamadou Niang has potted a couple, and even Boudewijn Zenden has bagged a few. Holy moly!
0': The teams, starting with Marseille: Mandanda, Bonnart, Zubar, Hilton, Taiwo, Cana, Cheyrou, Kone, M'Bami, Ben Arfa and Niang. Subs from: Riou, Ziani, Zenden, Kabore, Samassa, Erbate and Valbuena.
0': And Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Dossena, Gerrard, Mascherano, Leiva Lucas, Kuyt, Torres and Babel. Subs from: Cavalieri, Agger, Keane, Riera, Alonso, Benayoun and Degen.
1': A predictably boisterous home support belts out another round of summat or other in French, as we kick off...
2': Liverpool have set up as you might expect. Lucas and Mascherano holding, Kuyt and Babel wide with Stevie G playing just off Nando up top.
3': Marseille look pretty fluid too with Kone and Ben Arfa patrolling the flanks.
4': An awful ball from Mascherano allows Ben Arfa to rattle at Liverpool's back three, but his ball for Niang is a tad too late and the offside flag pops up.
5': Ben Arfa clatters into Babel with his studs up and rakes them down the Dutchman's knee. Right in front of the ref I might add. How that isn't a booking I'll never know.
6': Torres' first involvement, as he wins a header which has Zubar racing across to prevent Gerrard profiting, then Torres pockets the rebound, heads to the byline and wins a corner.
7': Niang gets a touch on the corner before Torres sends a looping header goalwards and Mandanda tips over the bar.
8': Then the Marseille stopper punches clear and though the home side had numbers on the break Ben Arfa wastes the chance. Tut tut.
9': Ben Arfa curls in a free-kick and though Reina only got a little love-tap from Niang he wins the foul. Poor.
10': The home side are getting on top here a little bit, and they do possess some raw pace up front which will cause Liverpool's back line some problems if they can get into the right areas.
11': Gerrard tries one of his 50 yard fizzers, looking for Lucas but Mandanda is out.
12': Not much going off at the minute. Just so you know.
13': I knew the old reverse pyschology would work! First Kone runs at the back line and goes down theatrically after Carragher got in his way, then Niang was played in on the left but blasted his shot high and wide from 15 yards out. Chance!
14': Great chance for Babel! Kuyt fires in a cross, Babel's exquisite touch takes it away from Zubar and he then flashes a shot inches over the bar! The game has come to life!
15': Frank Lampard has put Chelsea one up against Bordeaux by the way. England 1-0 France so far this evening....
16': Now Mandanda makes a very good save after Gerrard ran onto a Kuyt flick and hit one. It was arching into the bottom corner before keeps got a big hand on it.
17': Marseille are again less than convincing from the corner. Torres manages to get his bonce on it but his looping effort (again) drops just over the bar. Marseille free-kick wide on the left at t'other end.
18': Kone takes and Torres heads away from danger at the near post.
19': Babel spreads the ball wide right to Kuyt but his cross bounces once, just before the touchline on the opposite side of the ground. Oh dear.
21': Barcelona lead Sporting 1-0 by the way. Marquez, I think.
23': GOAL! Cana gives Marseille the lead!
23': Cheyrou picks the ball up from Ben Arfa, lifts a lovely little ball over the top and Cana, clean through, guides it past Reina. Game on!
25': Carragher pushed up and then appealed for the flag but Cana's run was perfectly timed, and the goal is a very good one.
26': GOAL! Gerrard special! What a goal!
26': Torres wins possession, lays it to Kuyt, he squares it for Gerrard who hits it first time, across goal and across his body and into the far corner. A truly wonderful goal!
27': Well that his silenced the crowd a little! Marseille's lead lasted all of three minutes.
28': Well, another belter to add to Gerrard's increasingly vast 'screamer' collection. How he dug out that ball, that was almost behind him, and looped it into the far corner while off balance is a mystery.
29': Penalty! Babel felled by Zumar.
30': Gerrard to take it...
31': Gerrard scores but the ref orders a retake as Torres had encroached into the area.
32': Gerrard scores! Again! 2-1!
32': Hit hard and low to the keeper's right and Liverpool have gone from 1-0 down to 2-1 up inside nine minutes.
33': Niang gets on the end of a Kone cross but couldn't direct it towards goal from a narrow angle.
34': Chelsea are 2-0 up, thanks to Joe Cole. I make that 4-1 on aggregate to England at present.
35': Cheyrou is having a good game for Marseille, managing to escape the attention of Lucas and Mascherano every now and again. His ball for Kone was a little under-cooked there though.
36': Liverpool look much more in control now, but they're still getting flashes of danger from Marseille's pacy attacking quartet.
38': Lucas gives away a free kick wide on the left after a tangle with Taiwo.
39': Niang turns beautifully and completely stitches up Mascherano, who gives away a foul. Free kick on the right, 20 yards out. Carragher clears.
40': More promising work from Marseille. Cheyrou whips in a delightful cross which none of his team mates had gambled on, then Ben Arfa releases Bonnart with a lovely flick but Dossena blocks the cross.
42': Marseille change: M'Bami is off and Mathieu Valbuena is on. He got the winner when these teams met at Anfield in last year's competition by the way.
43': Valbuena makes an instant impact, winning a free kick then whipping it in with venom. Carragher clears. Yes, again.
44': Cheyrou whips in another curler but Reina emerges to pluck this one out of the air.
45': Gerrard smashes in a free kick after Torres was fould but Hilton clears and that is that for the first half. Liverpool lead, but Marseille have been bright, perky and dangerous. See you in 15 minutes....
46': Right, we're off again....
47': A bright start from Marseille and Valbuena. He darts inside Lucas, is clipped then leaps in the air and screams like a little girl.
48': More good work from Valbuena, on the right this time, he cuts inside and crosses. Skrtel nods behind for a corner.
49': I like the look of Benoit Cheyrou. I'm wondering if he's related to Bruno of the same name, who had a poor spell at Liverpool. I think not though, cos Benoit is actually quite good.
50': Niang plays a poor ball when Valbuena could have been in down the channel. The ball eventually gets to the winger but his cross is deflected by Skrtel and Reina claims.
52': Gerrard nearly earns himself a sight at goal before Zubar gets in quickly.
53': Then Reina charges out to intercept a Cheyrou pass ahead of Niang, then sprays a wonderful 75 yard ball to Torres who was free on the left wing. Who knew?!
54': Torres is challenged by Bonnart, quite forcefully but wins a corner. Gerrard to swing it in....
55': Kuyt brings down the corner and is just about to unload before Zubar gets in the way. Just as well, he missed his header which allowed the ball to travel through to the Dutch supermodel.
56': Lucas is having a mare out there now. When he's in possession he gives it away, when he's not he gives away foul after foul.
57': Another OM change: Ben Arfa comes off and Karim Ziani is on.
58': Taiwo swings in a cross which Kone gets a volley on but the ball loops over the bar.
60': Carragher does well to stay with Kone as he belts down the right. Goal kick.
61': A good spell of possession from the home side culminates in a corner on the right.
62': Hilton wins the header eight yards out but it is straight at Reina. A yard either side and we'd be chatting about 2-2.
63': Babel breaks sharply but delays his ball for Gerrard, who can't hide his disgust. Then Valbuena hits a long ball for Kone to chase but Reina is out promptly again.
64': Torres is off and Albert Riera is coming on.
65': A lovely move from Marseille, Bonnart slides a ball down the right side of the box, Kone back-heels for Ziani but his shot was always rising. Smashing play though. Marseille haven't given this up yet.
66': Niang wins a free-kick 25 yards out, left of centre. Good chance for OM.
68': Valbuena's effort is straight into the wall. A pretty poor effort all round Mathieu.
69': Two-goal hero Stevie G is off and Yossi Benayoun is on.
71': So, 20 minutes left for Marseille to find an equaliser they definitely deserve. Can they do it?
72': Nearly! Niang drifts left and fires in a cross which Ziani meets but can't keep down. Tough chance, but a chance nonetheless.
73': Its Cana's turn to cross, but Reina stands firm.
74': Cana now tries a punt from distance which was never going to trouble Reina, who has had one of his better nights.
74': Final OM change, Mamadou Samassa is on for Kone, who has been decent.
75': Babel misses a great chance to wrap it up. Reira skins Bonnart, crosses and as the ball breaks from Benayoun and Zubar's challenge, Babel smacks it against Mandanda's arms from four yards out. Great save!
77': Up the other end, Taiwo shows nice skill to fashion a shooting chance but his effort lacks power. Strange for a man who has had one of his shot's clocked at 82mph.
78': Now Babel hits the post from a tight angle inside the box but the flag was up for offside anyhoo.
80': Chelsea are 3-0 up. Malouda this time.
82': Marseille look like they've run out of puff a bit now.
83': Taiwo burts into the area and charges into Arbeloa looking for a penalty. He'll have to settle for a corner though.
84': Lovely feet from Reira to slip out of a congested midfield and find Kuyt but he's confronted with too many options for his tiny little brain to cope with and fluffs it.
86': Dirk Kuyt comes off and Robbie Keane is going to get a full four minutes of hardcore Marseille-style Champions League action.
88': Benayoun streaks away and though Keane was screaming for it at the back post, the winger heads for the corner flag, displaying mind-boggling negativity. There are only two minutes left though so fair play I suppose.
89': Chance! Niang connects from Ziani's cross but glances his header wide from seven yards, claiming that Arbeloa had given him a nudge.It wasn't a pen though. Just score instead fella.
91': Three minutes added....
92': Niang gets round the back and squares it for no-one, then Cheyrou nods across goal but Reina clutches the ball to his chest before it reached Samassa who would have had a tap in.
93': Niang! He's missed a glorious chance! A brilliant lay-off header from Samassa tees up Niang and his powerful shot rebounds off Pepe Reina's right foot and with that the game is won!!
94': Right, well. Decent game, and Liverpool can count themselves lucky to come away with all three points. Carragher, Reina and Gerrard were outstanding but Marseille caused them bother and should have had a couple more goals. A good start for the Reds though.

Statistics

LIV		OLM
19	Fouls	10
2	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
1	Offsides	2
5	Corner Kicks	7
3	Saves	2
43.2	Possession	56.8
10	SHOTS	16
4	ON GOAL	4
0.4	On Target %	0.3
1	Penalty Goals	0
0	Penalty Kicks Taken	0
236	Accurate Passes	345
327	Passes	430
0.7	Pass Completion %	0.8
2	Accurate Crosses	9
12	Crosses	37
0.2	Cross %	0.2
58	Long Balls	51
30	Accurate Long Balls	33
0.5	Long Balls %	0.6
1	Blocked Shots	3
23	Effective Tackles	11
36	Tackles	17
0.6	Tackle %	0.6
0	Interceptions	0
18	Effective Clearances	14
42	Clearances	22

Game Information

Competition: UEFA Champions League

Venue: Orange Vélodrome
Location: Marseille, France
Attendance: 45,000

Line-Ups

Marseille

No.	Name
30	Steve Mandanda (GK)
15	Ronald Zubar
3	Taye Taiwo
24	Laurent Bonnart
5	Hilton
7	Benoît Cheyrou
23	Modeste M'Bami
19	Lorik Cana
20	Hatem Ben Arfa
11	Mamadou Niang
14	Bakari Koné

Marseille Substitutes:

Boudewijn Zenden, Karim Ziani, Rudy Riou, Mathieu Valbuena, Mamadou Samassa, Elamin Erbate, Charles Kaboré.

Liverpool

No.	Name
25	Pepe Reina (GK)
37	Martin Skrtel
2	Andrea Dossena
17	Álvaro Arbeloa
23	Jamie Carragher
8	Steven Gerrard
21	Lucas Leiva
20	Javier Mascherano
19	Ryan Babel
9	Fernando Torres
18	Dirk Kuyt

Liverpool Substitutes:

Robbie Keane, Philipp Degen, Daniel Agger, Yossi Benayoun, Diego Cavalieri, Xabi Alonso, Albert Riera.

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