Liverpool 1-1 FC Basle
A frustrating evening of European football at Anfield saw Liverpool drop another two Champions League points as they were held by FC Basle.
Aiming to bounce back in the competition in which they were beaten by Valencia last week, Liverpool were almost ahead after just a couple of minutes, when John Arne Riise was on the end of a Danny Murphy corner, and after hitting his shot into the ground, the ball looked to be looping over the Basle 'keeper, who tipped the ball onto the bar and Hyypia was unable to win the rebound.
Riise and Gerrard each had another chance in the opening ten minutes which failed to trouble Zuberbuhler, or Zubi, as he had printed on the back of his goalkeeper's jersey, but Riise again forced the keeper into a fine save in the 10th minute.
Collecting the ball around 25 yards out, Riise unleased a fierce drive which Zubi needed to be at full stretch to get a hand to, and again he managed to push the ball onto the bar.
Basle's first real opportunity came ten minutes later, and a volley by Hakan Yakin from almost on the penalty spot was just wide.
It took 34 minutes for the game's firat goal, and Liverpool's man in form, Milan Baros, was the scorer.
A run which saw Baros take the ball from the half way line to the edge of Basle's 18 yard box was followed by a one-two with Heskey, and on recieveing the ball back from Heskey, Baros' first time strike gave Zuberbuhler no chance as it flew inside the near post.
Bruno Cheyrou was close with a free kick a minute later, but saw his effort miss the goal by a foot as it hit the top of the net, and Milan Baros forced Zubi into another fine save with a header from Murphy's free kick.
It was a first half which should have seen Liverpool with a comfortable lead by the break, but a late equaliser by Basle saw the Swiss side level things. A ball over the top of the defence was missed by Carragher, and Rossi fired a shot though Dudek's legs, and Basle had grabbed an unlikely equaliser.
In the remaining two minutes of the half, Milan Baros could have scored a second goal, but after brilliantly turning a defender in the penalty area, Baros' shot crashed off the inside of the post and Owen fired the rebound straight at the keeper.
The second half saw fewer chances fall the Reds' way, although a free kick by Murphy should have resulted in a penalty after being blocked in the area by a deliberate handball by Giminez, but the Dutch referee waved away the protests.
El Hadi Diouf forced Zuberbuhler into one more great save before the game was up, and the Senegal star was also the only Liverpool player to be booked on the night during his 20 minute appearance, after a dive in the Basle penalty area.
Liverpool had run out of ideas by the final whistle though, and now face two games against Spartak Moscow, in which anything less than 4 points will seriously jeapardise the Reds' chances of making round two, though a repeat performance as that against Basle with a bit more luck in front of goal will surely see Liverpool qualify from the group.
In the other Group B fixture, Valencia thrashed Spartak 3-0 in Russia, and top the group with 6 points. Basle are second with 4 points with Liverpool on 1 point and Spartak with no points or goals from their opening two games.
the next round of fixtures is next Wednesday.
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