Guardian - Garcia grabs goals and glory for Liverpool

From the Guardian online

Dominic Fifield at BayArena
Thursday March 10, 2005
The Guardian

The enigma that is Liverpool continues to confound, though last night theirs was a glorious contribution to the Premiership's assault on Europe. Horrendously inconsistent they may be domestically, but they have now seared into the quarter-finals of this elite competition for only the second time in 20 years. Talk of a Spanish-inspired renaissance is sweeping the continent.

Few who have endured the flipside to the Merseysiders' season will be concurring just yet, but the significance of Rafael Benítez's achievement should not be underestimated. Three years ago Bayer Leverkusen humbled Liverpool in the Rhineland and, while the Germans boasted a far better side back then, this was still an annihilation few could have envisaged. The visiting fans crowed "We've only won it four times"; slowly but surely, belief is swelling that they could pluck an improbable fifth European Cup from a bizarre mishmash of a season.

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Leverkusen's previously imposing form in this arena had suggested this would prove an awkward evening, though the reality was anything but daunting. By the interval Liverpool's progress already appeared assured, with their aggregate advantage stretched to four goals and the Germans' most prolific scorer, Dimitar Berbatov, injured and replaced. The hosts' makeshift defence was shambolic, the visitors duly revelling in their discomfort.

The stroll might have been anticipated. The visitors had done all they could to remain impervious to the pressure in the build-up with Rafael Benítez even spending Tuesday night mixing with his people, the Spaniard coaxed to Jameson's Irish bar in Cologne by a group of Liverpool supporters to watch Manchester United slip out of this competition on the big screen.

The manager entered the pub to a stunned chorus of "Rafa get the ales in" though, having failed to beat a passage to the bar through the delighted throng, he retired parched to the team hotel after 25 rather frantic and fruitless minutes. After his side's display here, he may never have to buy a drink again.

That was a timely reminder of the affection in which he is still held given that Liverpool's recent form has lurched from the downright dismal to the vaguely encouraging - six of their previous 10 games had been lost - though, in an arena where they have suffered before, they purred. Luís Garcia's brace midway through the first period effectively propelled the Merseysiders through, but it was Steven Gerrard's presence which inspired.

The captain missed the first leg of this tie through suspension and spent the opening exchanges here misplacing passes at an alarming rate, his form apparently still anchored by the haunting memories of the Carling Cup final. But once he shrugged himself from his malaise, Liverpool were simply untouchable.

It was the England midfielder's exchange of passes with Milan Baros which forced Bayer back as the half-hour approached, Diego Placente blocking the Czech's charge for Gerrard to batter at goal. Jorg Butt did well to turn that shot aside but the home side were pinned back from the resultant corner, Gerrard given time to skim a cross from the right which Garcia, eluding the dawdling Placente, flicked eagerly home from the edge of the six-yard box.

Leverkusen were grounded, their misery compounded within five minutes as Gerrard's corner was nodded down by Igor Biscan for Garcia, from point-blank range, to prod his eighth goal of the season into the empty net. The Spaniard might have plundered a first-half hat-trick had Butt not tipped aside another belted attempt leaving Placente to take out his frustrations on Baros off the ball, the elbow flung at the Czech going unnoticed by the officials.

The Argentinian's anguish - if not his conduct - was understandable. Bayer had revelled in swashbuckling victories over Real Madrid, Roma and Dynamo Kiev in this competition's group stage before Christmas and even dispatched Bayern Munich 4-1 in a Bundesliga game here this season. Yet the storm they had hoped to whip up had fizzled disastrously, checked by air-kicks from Landon Donovan and Franca in presentable positions before the break.

Thereafter, with Berbatov absent, their game of catch-up was never likely to prompt reward. Horrible misses from Franca and the substitute Andrej Voronin from Daniel Bierofka's centres rather summed up their night, for all that Franca did force Dudek to palm away a more accurate attempt. The sight of the Pole denying a comeback was too much for many to take, the ease at which Baros sauntered into space to spear beyond Butt to add a third leaving the locals spitting in furious disgust with elimination looming large.

Their mood was not to be lifted as Bayer slumped out of the competition even if Jacek Krzynowek did manage to conjure a consolation with two minutes remaining.