Something of an unknown quantity, but the Belgian champions were never going to be a pushover and we've seen in the past that the 3rd qualifying round can be tough. Before the game, I'd happily have taken a high-scoring draw with no injuries. As it is, we had to settle for a goalless stalemate and a number of players - Plessis, Alonso, Benayoun and Torres particularly - were given a tough time.
It could have been much worse for us though - Reina was by far the busier keeper, needing a great save to claw the ball off the line and saving a penalty (which shouldn't have been given anyway, Dossena handballing outside the box). I'd still say that we should win this game over two legs, but we'll need to raise our game at Anfield in a fortnight's time, knowing that to concede an away goal could be costly. Also with our squad already stretched, I worry that this wasn't ideal preparation for the start of the season at Sunderland.
No comments:
Post a Comment