Liverpool has pulled off an excellent 2-1 away victory at Marseille tonight in their Group D opening match of Champions League 2008-2009. With this victory, Liverpool made a good start in their Champions League campaign, while Olympique Marseille was disappointed being losing all three points in front of the home fans.
Marseille took the lead in the 23rd minute of the match when unmarked Lorik Cana received a through and rushed into the Liverpool box to score the goal, saving himself from the off-side trap created by Liverpool. However, the visiting side took only three minutes to level the score thanks to the equalizer from Captain Steven Gerrard. The English midfielder collected a Dirk Kuyt pass outside the box and converted it through a curling shot past Marseille goal keeper. Just six minutes later, Gerrard scored the winning goal through a penalty awarded to Liverpool after Ryan Babel was knocked down illegally in the box.
Last year, Liverpool pulled off a 4-0 victory at Marseille. Now, this year only the winning margin has been decreased, but that will not lessen the disappointment of the home fans. With this defeat, Marseille’s hope to make it to the round of 16 has been pushed all the way. Liverpool, who went into the match in the back of 2-1 triumph over Manchester United last Saturday, has started off well, but in order to ensure a place in the last 16, Liverpool needs to continue their excellent form in the coming matches as well.
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