Braodsheets only.
The Independent
Bellamy and Riise get in the swing for Liverpool
Barcelona 1 Liverpool 2:
By Sam Wallace at the Nou Camp
Published: 22 February 2007
Put Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise together and the Welshman has shown he can do great damage to Liverpool's pristine reputation; last night the pair showed that they can also do great things. If ever Bellamy wanted to make up for his alleged golf-club attack then surely laying on the winner for his team-mate against the European champions in the Nou Camp was one way of saying sorry.
Bellamy passed to Riise for the winner against Barcelona at the Nou Camp and suddenly Liverpool were in the same surreal realm that Manchester United trod in this stadium eight years ago. After four days that have been dominated by Bellamy's apparent assault on Riise with a seven iron, this was the night that had just about as much drama as the evening the wayward Welshman burst into his team-mate's room at their Portuguese training camp.
Even before Riise struck an unlikely winner, Bellamy had stunned all those who wonder just how far he is prepared to show his contempt for the consequences of his own misbehaviour. After heading the equaliser on the stroke of half-time, the striker celebrated by miming a golf swing. In the rapture of victory, his actions will be brushed aside but this was crass.
It was lucrative too for those who spotted in the Racing Post yesterday morning some novelty odds offered by certain bookmakers of 100-1 if Bellamy scored and celebrated with a golf swing. For an industry that normally relies on the stupidity of punters, this was a rare example of the bookies being undone by underestimating just how daft some footballers really are.
The morality of Benitez's decision to include Bellamy remains open to question although the result does not. It was a famous victory that leaves Liverpool wonderfully poised to eliminate Barcelona at Anfield on 6 March, even if the actions of Bellamy left you wincing. The Liverpool manager preserves a proud record he had at Valencia of never losing at the Nou Camp, and it seems leaving Bellamy out for last week's events was never a consideration.
For Benitez this was yet another victory of the cold pragmatism that is hidden behind the indifference he professes in public. Whether Bellamy is moved out in the summer or not, he has served his purpose for this night in particular - a decision that other managers may have felt unable to make. The Liverpool players brushed aside the notion of a rift between Bellamy and Riise, and forced a grin when confronted with their team-mate's goal celebrations. Jamie Carragher's pre-match prediction proved emphatically right: win and a mountain of problems that have built up were washed away in the tide of euphoria. Bellamy strolled out of the stadium with a broad grin on his face.
Liverpool came perilously close to being eviscerated by a Barcelona team that dominated much of the early stages and scored after 13 minutes but when Barça required some moment of inspiration from Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi or Deco they came up short. This is crisis time in Catalonia after Sunday's defeat to Valencia and the questions fired at Frank Rijkaard in the aftermath were all about how the Barcelona coach had been out-thought.
Certainly, Benitez's formation did not look particularly imaginative, he played a conventional 4-4-2 which seemed to isolate Steven Gerrard on the right in the early stages. There were times when it threatened to look embarrassing, not least when Ronaldinho jinked past Dirk Kuyt with a fabulous piece of skill. By then Barcelona had already taken the lead and there was no debating the man at fault; blame rested squarely on the shoulders of Gerrard.
Taking the ball off Gianluca Zambrotta as he went down the left wing seemed to be a formality for Gerrard but, as the moment came to take the ball away, the full-back slipped past him. Zambrotta did wonderfully well to shape his cross to drop at the far post where, unmarked, the diminutive Deco was well-placed to head home.
It was a low moment for Gerrard, especially as he had laboured so hard to get into the game. For all their pressure, Barcelona could not find a way through for a second goal, and Liverpool had Carragher, above all others, to thank for that.
Then, on 42 minutes, a moment of incredible good fortune for Liverpool. Alonso played a free-kick out right to Steve Finnan who crossed from the right to Bellamy at the back post. His unremarkable header was aimed straight at goalkeeper Victor Valdes who fumbled the ball into the goal. Replays showed it crossed the line before Kuyt put the loose ball in. It was Bellamy's goal - and he had the tee shot to match.
Early in the second half, Liverpool clung on: Pepe Reina stopped a shot from Saviola, Alvaro Arbeloa got his foot in the way of the follow-up from Messi. And then Liverpool turned the game on its head.
The move started on the right when Gerrard passed to Kuyt whose shot was stopped by Valdes. The ball spun up into the air and Rafael Marquez could do no better than head it weakly to Bellamy who looked up and found Riise unmarked in the area. He drilled his shot into the roof of the net.
Deco clipped the post in the closing stages, Carragher was inspirational. Anfield prepares itself for another extraordinary European night.
Swing when you're winning
Bookmakers took a hit last night when Craig Bellamy scored against Barcelona and celebrated with a golf swing, an eventuality William Hill had originally offered at 100/1. "If we get away with less than a £50,000 loss we will be happy," said a Hill's spokesman.
Barcelona (4-1-2-3): Valdes; Belletti, Marquez, Puyol, Zambrotta; Motta (Iniesta 54); Xavi (Giuly, 65), Deco; Messi, Saviola (Gudjohnsen, 82), Ronaldinho. Substitutes not used: Jorquera (gk), Van Bronckhorst, Thuram, Oleguer.
Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa; Gerrard, Sissoko (Zenden, 83), Alonso, Riise; Bellamy (Pennant, 80), Kuyt (Crouch, 90). Substitutes not used: Dudek (gk), Hyypia, Gonzalez, Mascherano.
Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).
* In last night's other Champions League games, Lyon drew 0-0 at Roma, while a late David Silva equaliser gave Valencia a 2-2 draw at Serie A leaders Internazionale.
'It was destiny for us both to score' says Riise
By Sam Wallace
Published: 22 February 2007
Six days after the training-camp row that threatened to derail their season, Liverpool's warring factions said that they had made their peace, with John Arne Riise even claiming that he could understand why Craig Bellamy celebrated his goal with a mock golf swing. "It has been difficult for him too," was the Norwegian's forgiving assessment of Bellamy.
Riise, the victim in that infamous assault by Bellamy, even said that "it was destiny for us both" when the two players combined for Riise's winning goal. "You could see how much the goal meant to him [Bellamy]," Riise said. "So I am happy for him that he scored and the whole team is as well. We did well today.
"Both Bellamy and myself have had a difficult run-up [to the game] but we've put it behind us. The team is happy. We're going to enjoy this. We put this [training-camp incident] behind us very early and we worked hard for the team and we'll move forward.
"The boss, tactically, is one of the best. It's a big lead to take [to Anfield] but we know they can score away from home. But we won this game and if we don't lose at home we are through."
Bellamy, who scored the equaliser just before half-time, played down the significance of the alleged attack at the team's Portuguese training camp in the early hours of Friday. Speaking for the first time since the incident he said: "It doesn't bother me, I just try to get on with things. This was a great result but it's only half-time and at Anfield it will be a completely different game.
"As good as the result is, there is still a long way to go. I'm still gob-smacked. Just coming to the Nou Camp today was unreal. It's my boy's 10th birthday today so it's special. There has been no problem [in the squad], we've trained all week. We all know how strict the gaffer is; if there was a big problem, I would not be here."
Rafael Benitez claimed not to have seen the golf-swing celebration that Bellamy mimed after his goal. "I didn't see Craig - I was thinking about what was going to happen in the second half. I'm really pleased with Craig and also with the team. When you can win here, with Riise and Bellamy scoring the goals, I think it was a coincidence. But we must be really happy. I'm pleased for him, and for both of them scoring the goals that won the game.
"The job is not done. We have a good chance now, but we need to be careful. Barcelona are really good playing counter-attack and have really good offensive players. We'll need to do our best now. It's always important to win away from home. We had a lot of supporters coming a long way here, a Champions League game against Barcelona, so it's a wonderful result.
"The training camp in Portugal was really healthy for us because we were training really well. The commitment of the players was good before and after the problems. It would have been the same - the atmosphere among the players was really good."
Below par Barça must now show some backbone
By Steve Tongue at the Nou Camp
Published: 22 February 2007
If it was tempting to wonder, following golf-club antics on the boys' night out at a supposed training camp last week, whether Liverpool's performance here might be, so to speak, below par - doubts answered with a typically defiant response by Craig Bellamy - there were questions surrounding their successors as European champions as well.
"There's never been a better time to play Barcelona," opined Sky Sport's commentator Rob Palmer while watching the pride of Catalonia sink to another defeat in La Liga on Sunday.
On the other hand: "I don't think there's ever a good time to play a team of their quality," said Jamie Carragher, with the natural caution of one who knew that come last night he would be tested at the heart of the battleground rather than in the comfort of a television studio.
Barça certainly looked in poor shape when going down to championship rivals Valencia at the weekend. Samuel Eto'o was still missing there, the assumption being that he would be saved for Liverpool. In fact, having refused to come on as a substitute the previous Sunday, claiming that he required more time to warm up, the striker had been taken at his word: 11 days later he was not even in the squad. Even in an era of supposed player-power, calling the manager "a bad man" is never a good idea.
When Frank Rijkaard's team got on the ball in a 20-minute period either side of the opening goal, there were thrilling reminders of the combined individual brilliance and teamwork that charmed the world - Arsenal excepted - last season. Ronaldinho, a fitful performer ever since the World Cup began last summer, was not slowed by Steve Finnan's early foul as much as Liverpool might have hoped and it was his delicious flick down the line to the adventurous left-back Gianluca Zambrotta that set up Deco's telling header for the first goal.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Lionel Messi, the scourge of Chelsea in that run to the final, showed occasional signs of rust from starting the game with only 35 minutes' football behind him after a three-month absence. Individual errors right at the start of the night by Thiago Motta and Zambrotta also agitated the crowd and hinted at a more recent falling away of standards and, some believe, morale. The inspirational captain and Catalan hero Carles Puyol was an exception; the look on his face after Victor Valdes, Jose Reina's old rival for the first-team jersey here, failed to hold Bellamy's header and was later beaten by John Arne Riise was as anguished as any (other) Barça supporter. And anguish was not a commodity in short supply on the Nou Camp's vertiginous tiers.
The holders are without a win outside their home territory since the middle of November. When they hear "You'll Never Walk Alone" in the Anfield tunnel in just under a fortnight's time, spines may tingle but backbone as well as the footballing pedigree of champions will be tested.
The Times:
Oliver Kay in Barcelona
Five nights after coming to blows on a shameful evening in the Algarve, Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise almost defied belief by scoring the goals that earned Liverpool a spectacular 2-1 victory over Barcelona at the Nou Camp last night.
Bellamy’s celebration was perhaps in poor taste as he swung an imaginary golf club in a clear reference to his weapon of choice when he attacked Riise on that drunken night in Vale Do Lobo at the end of a warm-weather training camp, but not even that could overshadow a famous first-leg victory for Liverpool, who will firmly expect to finish off the European champions at Anfield on March 6 after overturning an early deficit.
Chelsea will also be confident of progressing to the Champions League quarter- finals after Andriy Shevchenko’s equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw away to FC Porto, but their satisfaction was tempered by concern over another injury to John Terry, who left the field on a stretcher after injuring his right ankle — a huge worry for Steve McClaren, the England head coach, before the critical European Championship qualifying matches away to Israel and Andorra next month.
Frank Lampard, Terry’s team-mate for club and country, said that he did not know the extent of the injury, but added: “I don’t think John comes off unless it’s pretty painful.”
The night, though, belonged to Liverpool and, despite his best efforts to tarnish his good work with his goal celebration, to Bellamy. The Wales forward is understood to have been fined two weeks’ wages — more than £80,000 — for his antics last week and may also have jeopardised any long-term future under Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, but he headed the 43rd-minute goal that restored parity before setting up Riise to score the second with 16 minutes remaining.
“I’m still gob-smacked,” Bellamy said. “Just coming to the Nou Camp today was unreal. It’s my boy’s 10th birthday today so it’s special. There has been no problem [in the squad], we’ve trained all week. We all know how strict the gaffer is — if there was a big problem, I wouldn’t be here.”
He added that reports of his falling-out with Riise “don’t bother me, I just try to get on with things. Today it was a great result but it’s only half-time and at Anfield it will be a completely different game. As good as the result is, there is still a long way to go.”
There were some winces among the Liverpool officials in the directors’ box at Bellamy’s celebrations — perhaps almost as many as at the offices of William Hill, the bookmaker, who had offered odds of 100-1 that the forward would dare to do such a thing if he scored. Conspiracy theorists may have raised an eyebrow at what followed his goal — awarded to Bellamy even though Dirk Kuyt followed up to make sure after Víctor Valdés, the Barcelona goalkeeper, spilt the ball on the line — but William Hill were said not to have received any unusually large bets.
Bellamy and Riise embraced again at the final whistle, the former having been substituted ten minutes earlier, although there was a distinct lack of eye contact. As they headed to the dressing-room, Bellamy’s golf-club swing was repeated by Jerzy Dudek, the substitute goalkeeper — another who was disciplined on his return from the Algarve, where he is reported to have been handcuffed by police as events briefly spiralled out of control.
Liverpool, though, will hope that the matter is behind them after a glorious night on which the only sour note was an injury to Mohamed Sissoko late in the game. Like Terry, he hurt an ankle.
The Guardian:
Kevin McCarra at the Camp Nou
Thursday February 22, 2007
This precious result was just one element in an astounding night for Liverpool. They had initially been outclassed in the delicate facets of the game but are now on the verge of knocking out the holders and entering the quarter-finals. Such was the transformation that they were a far sounder line-up by the end than psychologically fragile Barcelona, who conceded two hapless goals.
In its own manner it was a recovery as uncanny as the overhauling of the 3-0 deficit to Milan before winning this tournament in 2005. Last night the task was to resist the sense of inferiority that might have been stamped indelibly on to Liverpool minds when Barcelona's panache was at its most hypnotic. In reality that stretch of the game was short, but the flakiness of Frank Rijkaard's line-up could never have been exploited without the self-belief of Rafael Benítez's squad.
On such a disconcerting evening it was perversely apt that John Arne Riise and Craig Bellamy, who had such severe differences during the Algarve altercation a week ago, should be clasped together when the Welshman laid on the 74th-minute decider for the Norwegian. That was not to be overshadowed and a late free-kick by Deco bounced off the far post.
Barcelona were as frail in defence as they were delicately beguiling in attack. Liverpool, outplayed and exposed for prolonged spells, responded with conviction whenever the pressure eased because the champions of Spain were so insecure. Bellamy's equaliser must have astonished his team-mates even as it delighted them, but they also made sure it was a turning point.
Xabi Alonso sent a free-kick to Steve Finnan and when his cross was met by the forward his header flew straight to Victor Valdés. The goalkeeper was unaccountably positioned behind his line and therefore conceded a goal. Bellamy, gleeful over the current bout of notoriety, celebrated by pretending to swing a golf club.
Barcelona allowed that aberration to undermine them. They never regrouped and bore out claims that the Rijkaard era is winding down by flailing and flapping. In mitigation, their mood of shock was natural even if it should not have turned into the team's distinguishing characteristic in the second half.
Rijkaard's side had briefly seemed to be gliding on a higher plane. Benítez, the world authority on beating Barcelona since his days with Valencia, had his credentials questioned at first. The system had a makeshift air, with Barcelona relishing access to the wings that Liverpool had meant to deny them.
On the left Alvaro Arbeloa made his first start, with Riise in front of him, but it never looked as if Lionel Messi was outnumbered. The rhythm of Barcelona's passing and movement opened up space. In an even-handed way Rijkaard's players kept Finnan and Steven Gerrard in as much difficulty on the Liverpool right.
A dive by Ronaldinho in the 13th minute was shabby conduct, but the Brazilian's capacity to get into a penalty-box position was significant. Barcelona had free rein in the 14th minute, however. Gerrard could not stop Gianluca Zambrotta from crossing, Arbeloa failed to climb high enough to connect with the ball and Deco, free of Riise, headed in at the far post.
Deco was soon shooting against Pepe Reina after Messi had put him through and few would have guessed that Barcelona could be denied. Liverpool, though, had been bright when they got a loan of the ball and perhaps reminded themselves that Barcelona view defending as a task unworthy of them.
The second half opened with Liverpool far more effective in the system Benítez had set out. Rijkaard's reaction was characteristic, if reckless, and defensive resilience vanished from their midfield as Andrés Iniesta took over from Thiago Motta.
Liverpool had the briskness of men reprieved and the visitors went on the attack themselves with optimism. Barcelona yearned for transformational virtuosity but Rijkaard's men had become far better at bringing havoc down upon themselves. When the substitute Ludovic Giuly passed back into his own area Valdés impetuously picked the ball up to give away a free-kick. It was touched to Gerrard and, although the goalkeeper blocked his drive, Liverpool were so full of verve that Arbeloa swept in a dashing cross which Dirk Kuyt headed on to the bar.
Barcelona did get an invitation to regain the lead immediately before they fell behind, however. In the 73rd minute Javier Saviola wormed his way through and, when the ball ran free after being blocked by Reina, Messi seemed set to finish until Arbeloa got in the way of his effort.
Moments later Gerrard fed Kuyt and, although the Dutchman miscontrolled, Valdés hesitated and Rafael Márquez inadvertently knocked the ball down to Bellamy, who squared for Riise to hit the net with a right-foot drive.
In all the fundamentals of football competitiveness Liverpool had transformed themselves into the superior team for whom this conquest in Barcelona was only natural.
The Telegraph:
By Henry Winter in Barcelona
Last Updated: 12:33am GMT 22/02/2007
Barcelona (1) 1 Liverpool (1) 2
Craig Bellamy, the Welshman whose golf-club antics have dominated recent headlines, certainly knows how to make a party go with a swing and he launched some serious Liverpool revelry here last night. Not only did Bellamy equalise Deco's goal, and then celebrate by pretending to play a golf shot, but the Welshman also teed up John Arne Riise for Liverpool's amazing winner.
Barring a wonderful spell of first-half passing and moving, Barcelona, the defending champions, were poor, particularly defensively, and they had no answer to the constant running of Bellamy, the man of the match. Good displays could be found all over, from Riise to Dirk Kuyt, Jamie Carragher to Momo Sissoko. The night's only note of disappointment was the sight of Sissoko being carried away on a stretcher late on.
Liverpool had started with real pace and a high tempo, hounding Barcelona, and almost taking the lead when Riise over-clubbed his cross to Bellamy. The Welshman, who had aroused such understandable censure for taking a club to Riise's legs, finished the half with a goal, but he and his Liverpool colleagues were forced to endure a draining time until then, such was the danger posed by talents such as Ronaldinho.
Liverpool had sought to tame Ronaldinho early on, snapping into tackles on the elegant Brazilian, with Steve Finnan leading the ambush party. Ronaldinho, never short of ambition, even tried to claim a penalty when Finnan challenged him in the box, but the Greek referee, Kyros Vassaras, waved play on.
Irritated by Liverpool's close attentions, Ronaldinho took revenge in style, setting the stage for Barcelona's 14th-minute goal with a wonderful touch to ease the ball around the bemused Finnan and into the path of the flying Gianluca Zambrotta.
The Italian raced down the left, speeding into space vacated by Finnan, and comfortably bypassing a weak challenge from Steven Gerrard, the first Liverpool fireman on the scene. Zambrotta crossed quickly, giving the visitors' defence no time to set themselves. Alvaro Arbeloa, the Spaniard making his first start for Liverpool, failed to cut the ball out and Deco headed Barcelona in front.
Until Bellamy intervened, the pressure continued. Ronaldinho again conjured the ball around Finnan. Saviola, preferred to Eidur Gudjohnsen up front, shot wide. Lionel Messi kept cutting in from the right, guiding the ball away from Arbeloa, a right-back filling in on the left.
For a worrying period, the movement of Messi and his clever friends seemed too good for the visitors. Barcelona shirts teemed all over Liverpool's defence, occasionally over-theatrically such as when Ronaldinho tumbled under a perfectly legitimate Carragher challenge.
Benitez complained vociferously to the fourth official about Ronaldinho's antics, although his mood soon brightened. Three minutes before the break, Liverpool seized an away goal, exploiting the hosts' noted defensive vulnerabilites. Barcelona can be particularly lax at repelling quick set-pieces, and Liverpool went through the gears swiftly as Xabi Alonso drove a dead ball wide to Finnan on the right.
The Irishman's cross caught out Barcelona's defence, partly because they were all fixated by Dirk Kuyt's run, so allowing the unmarked Bellamy to send a powerful header speeding goalwards. Victor Valdes, Barcelona's goalkeeper, should have saved, yet he somehow dragged it over the line. Although Valdes then pushed the ball out, Kuyt's follow-up finish was irrelevant. The linesman had signalled Bellamy's effort was good.
In keeping with his golf-loving tendencies, Bellamy made immediately for the flag, sliding on his knees towards the corner. His celebration, pretending to swing a club, was a nice touch, a case of poking fun at recent headlines. Any hint of lingering dressing-room resentment towards Bellamy surely evaporated here. As they walked off at the break, Kuyt even gave Bellamy an affectionate hug.
Liverpool returned after the interval brimming with conviction. Bellamy was energy personified, darting down the channels, while Kuyt supported nimbly from slightly deep. Gerrard was deployed on the right, but was often inside, putting out fires, such as with one wonderful challenge to nick the ball off Ronaldinho. Finnan followed suit, matching his captain in dispossessing the Brazilian.
Mistakes crept into Barcelona's play. When Ludovic Giuly toe-poked the ball back to Valdes, the goalkeeper inexplicably picked it up, an offence immediately spotted by Bellamy and then Vassaras. Alonso set up Gerrard, whose drive was saved by Valdes. Still Liverpool came, and Kuyt wasted a wonderful chance by heading over.
Frank Rijkaard's players tried to shake off their sloth, and they almost regained the lead after 72 minutes.
Messi weaved some magic, releasing Saviola into the box. Liverpool stood firm in the teeth of all this Latin American menace coming their way; Reina saved well from Saviola before Arbeloa deflected Messi's shot behind.
Then, Liverpool took the lead. When Finnan dinked the ball in from the right, Gerrard sent Kuyt through in on goal. Valdes saved, but his centre-halves then let him down badly.
Rafael Marquez's clearing header would have drawn derision in a schoolboy match, and Bellamy eagerly latched on to the ball, keeping with the golf theme by teeing up Riise, whose right-footed drive disappeared past a stunned Valdes. Liverpool were in dream land.
Match details
Barcelona (4-2-1-3): Valdes; Belletti, Marquez, Puyol, Zambrotta; Xavi (Giuly 65), Motta (Iniesta 54); Deco; Messi, Saviola (Gudjohnsen 83), Ronaldinho. Subs: Jorquera (g), Van Bronckhorst, Thuram, Oleguer. Booked: Belletti.
Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa; Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko (Zenden 84), Riise; Bellamy (Pennant 80), Kuyt (Crouch 90). Subs: Dudek (g), Hyypia, Gonzalez, Mascherano. Booked: Agger, Kuyt, Sissoko.
Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).
Bellamy tees up Liverpool success
By Charles Carrick
Last Updated: 12:32am GMT 22/02/2007
Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise, who last weekend were allegedly brawling at a training camp in Portugal, both found the scoresheet in the Nou Camp last night to give Liverpool a wonderful chance of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League at the expense of holders Barcelona.
Welsh striker Bellamy had reportedly set about Norwegian international Riise with a golf club following an argument at a karaoke evening.
After scoring the equalising goal in last night's 2-1 quarter-final first-leg win, he celebrated with an extravangant pretend golf swing and later said he was "gobsmacked" by the win.
Bookmaker William Hill had earlier in the day offered odds of 100-1 on a golf-style celebration; a spokesman admitted last night: "We never expected to get turned over on this one.
"We will be lucky if we get away with a loss less than £50,000."
Bellamy turned provider to tee up Riise's goal in the 74th minute. Deco had given Barcelona the lead in the 14th minute.
Chelsea may have paid a heavy price for their 1-1 draw away to Porto after John Terry was carried off with an injured right ankle within the first 10 minutes. The England captain has only just returned to action after major back surgery in December and having his comeback delayed still further by a calf injury.
He looks likely to miss Sunday's Carling Cup final with Arsenal in Cardiff. It could also put a question mark over his involvement in the England squad for the European Championship qualifiers against Israel and Andorra next month.
The Scotsman:
Bellamy and Riise sink Barcelona
SIMON CASKETT AT THE NOU CAMP
Barcelona 1 - Deco 14
Liverpool 2 - Bellamy (43), Riise (74)
LIVERPOOL'S Craig Bellamy and John-Arne Riise put a week of controversy behind them when they grabbed the goals that earned a memorable comeback win at European champions Barcelona in the first leg of the first Champions League knockout round.
Wales striker Bellamy, who faces an £80,000 fine for an altercation with Riise in a pre-match training camp in Portugal, equalised two minutes before the break with a diving header in the first leg clash at the Nou Camp.
Norway defender Riise snatched the winner 16 minutes from time when he blasted a shot high into the net after dreadful defending by the home side. "It was destiny," Riise said. "It's all over, it's behind us and we have to look to the future now."
Ronaldinho helped Barcelona to an early lead when he slipped a clever disguised pass out to full-back Gianluca Zambrotta just inside the Liverpool half in the 14th minute. The Italian charged down the right flank, clipped a great cross towards the unmarked Deco at the far post and he steered a header low past Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
But Liverpool equalised minutes from the break when Bellamy burst into the area to meet Steve Finnan's cross and send a diving header towards a surprised Valdes, who ended up dragging the ball over his own line.
Bellamy, in the team despite reportedly hitting Riise with a golf club at the team's Algarve training camp, cheekily celebrated by practising his swing.
Barcelona continued to have the lion's share of the ball in the second half, but found themselves frustrated time and again by Liverpool's muscular midfield and well-ordered back four.
Riise then stunned the Barca crowd when he blasted high into the net after Valdes had blocked a Dirk Kuyt shot as his defenders stood by and watched.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez credited his side's troubled pre-match training camp in Portugal for helping them beat the European champions.
"The training camp in Portugal was very helpful for us," said Benitez. "The commitment of the players was good before and after the problems. The atmosphere was always very good and it would have been good even if the events hadn't happened
"It was a bit of a coincidence to see Bellamy and Riise scoring the goals and I'm really pleased for them."
Barcelona: Valdes, Belletti, Marquez, Puyol, Zambrotta, Xavi (Giuly 65), Motta (Iniesta 54), Deco, Messi, Saviola (Gudjohnsen 82), Ronaldinho. Subs not used: Jorquera, Van Bronckhorst, Thuram, Oleguer. Booked: Belletti, Zambrotta.
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Riise, Finnan, Sissoko (Zenden 84), Alonso, Gerrard, Bellamy (Pennant 80), Kuyt (Crouch 90). Subs not used: Dudek, Hyypia, Gonzalez, Mascherano. Booked: Agger, Kuyt, Sissoko, Bellamy.
Referee: K Vassaras (Gree). Attendance: 88,000
The Independent
Bellamy and Riise get in the swing for Liverpool
Barcelona 1 Liverpool 2:
By Sam Wallace at the Nou Camp
Published: 22 February 2007
Put Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise together and the Welshman has shown he can do great damage to Liverpool's pristine reputation; last night the pair showed that they can also do great things. If ever Bellamy wanted to make up for his alleged golf-club attack then surely laying on the winner for his team-mate against the European champions in the Nou Camp was one way of saying sorry.
Bellamy passed to Riise for the winner against Barcelona at the Nou Camp and suddenly Liverpool were in the same surreal realm that Manchester United trod in this stadium eight years ago. After four days that have been dominated by Bellamy's apparent assault on Riise with a seven iron, this was the night that had just about as much drama as the evening the wayward Welshman burst into his team-mate's room at their Portuguese training camp.
Even before Riise struck an unlikely winner, Bellamy had stunned all those who wonder just how far he is prepared to show his contempt for the consequences of his own misbehaviour. After heading the equaliser on the stroke of half-time, the striker celebrated by miming a golf swing. In the rapture of victory, his actions will be brushed aside but this was crass.
It was lucrative too for those who spotted in the Racing Post yesterday morning some novelty odds offered by certain bookmakers of 100-1 if Bellamy scored and celebrated with a golf swing. For an industry that normally relies on the stupidity of punters, this was a rare example of the bookies being undone by underestimating just how daft some footballers really are.
The morality of Benitez's decision to include Bellamy remains open to question although the result does not. It was a famous victory that leaves Liverpool wonderfully poised to eliminate Barcelona at Anfield on 6 March, even if the actions of Bellamy left you wincing. The Liverpool manager preserves a proud record he had at Valencia of never losing at the Nou Camp, and it seems leaving Bellamy out for last week's events was never a consideration.
For Benitez this was yet another victory of the cold pragmatism that is hidden behind the indifference he professes in public. Whether Bellamy is moved out in the summer or not, he has served his purpose for this night in particular - a decision that other managers may have felt unable to make. The Liverpool players brushed aside the notion of a rift between Bellamy and Riise, and forced a grin when confronted with their team-mate's goal celebrations. Jamie Carragher's pre-match prediction proved emphatically right: win and a mountain of problems that have built up were washed away in the tide of euphoria. Bellamy strolled out of the stadium with a broad grin on his face.
Liverpool came perilously close to being eviscerated by a Barcelona team that dominated much of the early stages and scored after 13 minutes but when Barça required some moment of inspiration from Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi or Deco they came up short. This is crisis time in Catalonia after Sunday's defeat to Valencia and the questions fired at Frank Rijkaard in the aftermath were all about how the Barcelona coach had been out-thought.
Certainly, Benitez's formation did not look particularly imaginative, he played a conventional 4-4-2 which seemed to isolate Steven Gerrard on the right in the early stages. There were times when it threatened to look embarrassing, not least when Ronaldinho jinked past Dirk Kuyt with a fabulous piece of skill. By then Barcelona had already taken the lead and there was no debating the man at fault; blame rested squarely on the shoulders of Gerrard.
Taking the ball off Gianluca Zambrotta as he went down the left wing seemed to be a formality for Gerrard but, as the moment came to take the ball away, the full-back slipped past him. Zambrotta did wonderfully well to shape his cross to drop at the far post where, unmarked, the diminutive Deco was well-placed to head home.
It was a low moment for Gerrard, especially as he had laboured so hard to get into the game. For all their pressure, Barcelona could not find a way through for a second goal, and Liverpool had Carragher, above all others, to thank for that.
Then, on 42 minutes, a moment of incredible good fortune for Liverpool. Alonso played a free-kick out right to Steve Finnan who crossed from the right to Bellamy at the back post. His unremarkable header was aimed straight at goalkeeper Victor Valdes who fumbled the ball into the goal. Replays showed it crossed the line before Kuyt put the loose ball in. It was Bellamy's goal - and he had the tee shot to match.
Early in the second half, Liverpool clung on: Pepe Reina stopped a shot from Saviola, Alvaro Arbeloa got his foot in the way of the follow-up from Messi. And then Liverpool turned the game on its head.
The move started on the right when Gerrard passed to Kuyt whose shot was stopped by Valdes. The ball spun up into the air and Rafael Marquez could do no better than head it weakly to Bellamy who looked up and found Riise unmarked in the area. He drilled his shot into the roof of the net.
Deco clipped the post in the closing stages, Carragher was inspirational. Anfield prepares itself for another extraordinary European night.
Swing when you're winning
Bookmakers took a hit last night when Craig Bellamy scored against Barcelona and celebrated with a golf swing, an eventuality William Hill had originally offered at 100/1. "If we get away with less than a £50,000 loss we will be happy," said a Hill's spokesman.
Barcelona (4-1-2-3): Valdes; Belletti, Marquez, Puyol, Zambrotta; Motta (Iniesta 54); Xavi (Giuly, 65), Deco; Messi, Saviola (Gudjohnsen, 82), Ronaldinho. Substitutes not used: Jorquera (gk), Van Bronckhorst, Thuram, Oleguer.
Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa; Gerrard, Sissoko (Zenden, 83), Alonso, Riise; Bellamy (Pennant, 80), Kuyt (Crouch, 90). Substitutes not used: Dudek (gk), Hyypia, Gonzalez, Mascherano.
Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).
* In last night's other Champions League games, Lyon drew 0-0 at Roma, while a late David Silva equaliser gave Valencia a 2-2 draw at Serie A leaders Internazionale.
'It was destiny for us both to score' says Riise
By Sam Wallace
Published: 22 February 2007
Six days after the training-camp row that threatened to derail their season, Liverpool's warring factions said that they had made their peace, with John Arne Riise even claiming that he could understand why Craig Bellamy celebrated his goal with a mock golf swing. "It has been difficult for him too," was the Norwegian's forgiving assessment of Bellamy.
Riise, the victim in that infamous assault by Bellamy, even said that "it was destiny for us both" when the two players combined for Riise's winning goal. "You could see how much the goal meant to him [Bellamy]," Riise said. "So I am happy for him that he scored and the whole team is as well. We did well today.
"Both Bellamy and myself have had a difficult run-up [to the game] but we've put it behind us. The team is happy. We're going to enjoy this. We put this [training-camp incident] behind us very early and we worked hard for the team and we'll move forward.
"The boss, tactically, is one of the best. It's a big lead to take [to Anfield] but we know they can score away from home. But we won this game and if we don't lose at home we are through."
Bellamy, who scored the equaliser just before half-time, played down the significance of the alleged attack at the team's Portuguese training camp in the early hours of Friday. Speaking for the first time since the incident he said: "It doesn't bother me, I just try to get on with things. This was a great result but it's only half-time and at Anfield it will be a completely different game.
"As good as the result is, there is still a long way to go. I'm still gob-smacked. Just coming to the Nou Camp today was unreal. It's my boy's 10th birthday today so it's special. There has been no problem [in the squad], we've trained all week. We all know how strict the gaffer is; if there was a big problem, I would not be here."
Rafael Benitez claimed not to have seen the golf-swing celebration that Bellamy mimed after his goal. "I didn't see Craig - I was thinking about what was going to happen in the second half. I'm really pleased with Craig and also with the team. When you can win here, with Riise and Bellamy scoring the goals, I think it was a coincidence. But we must be really happy. I'm pleased for him, and for both of them scoring the goals that won the game.
"The job is not done. We have a good chance now, but we need to be careful. Barcelona are really good playing counter-attack and have really good offensive players. We'll need to do our best now. It's always important to win away from home. We had a lot of supporters coming a long way here, a Champions League game against Barcelona, so it's a wonderful result.
"The training camp in Portugal was really healthy for us because we were training really well. The commitment of the players was good before and after the problems. It would have been the same - the atmosphere among the players was really good."
Below par Barça must now show some backbone
By Steve Tongue at the Nou Camp
Published: 22 February 2007
If it was tempting to wonder, following golf-club antics on the boys' night out at a supposed training camp last week, whether Liverpool's performance here might be, so to speak, below par - doubts answered with a typically defiant response by Craig Bellamy - there were questions surrounding their successors as European champions as well.
"There's never been a better time to play Barcelona," opined Sky Sport's commentator Rob Palmer while watching the pride of Catalonia sink to another defeat in La Liga on Sunday.
On the other hand: "I don't think there's ever a good time to play a team of their quality," said Jamie Carragher, with the natural caution of one who knew that come last night he would be tested at the heart of the battleground rather than in the comfort of a television studio.
Barça certainly looked in poor shape when going down to championship rivals Valencia at the weekend. Samuel Eto'o was still missing there, the assumption being that he would be saved for Liverpool. In fact, having refused to come on as a substitute the previous Sunday, claiming that he required more time to warm up, the striker had been taken at his word: 11 days later he was not even in the squad. Even in an era of supposed player-power, calling the manager "a bad man" is never a good idea.
When Frank Rijkaard's team got on the ball in a 20-minute period either side of the opening goal, there were thrilling reminders of the combined individual brilliance and teamwork that charmed the world - Arsenal excepted - last season. Ronaldinho, a fitful performer ever since the World Cup began last summer, was not slowed by Steve Finnan's early foul as much as Liverpool might have hoped and it was his delicious flick down the line to the adventurous left-back Gianluca Zambrotta that set up Deco's telling header for the first goal.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Lionel Messi, the scourge of Chelsea in that run to the final, showed occasional signs of rust from starting the game with only 35 minutes' football behind him after a three-month absence. Individual errors right at the start of the night by Thiago Motta and Zambrotta also agitated the crowd and hinted at a more recent falling away of standards and, some believe, morale. The inspirational captain and Catalan hero Carles Puyol was an exception; the look on his face after Victor Valdes, Jose Reina's old rival for the first-team jersey here, failed to hold Bellamy's header and was later beaten by John Arne Riise was as anguished as any (other) Barça supporter. And anguish was not a commodity in short supply on the Nou Camp's vertiginous tiers.
The holders are without a win outside their home territory since the middle of November. When they hear "You'll Never Walk Alone" in the Anfield tunnel in just under a fortnight's time, spines may tingle but backbone as well as the footballing pedigree of champions will be tested.
The Times:
Oliver Kay in Barcelona
Five nights after coming to blows on a shameful evening in the Algarve, Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise almost defied belief by scoring the goals that earned Liverpool a spectacular 2-1 victory over Barcelona at the Nou Camp last night.
Bellamy’s celebration was perhaps in poor taste as he swung an imaginary golf club in a clear reference to his weapon of choice when he attacked Riise on that drunken night in Vale Do Lobo at the end of a warm-weather training camp, but not even that could overshadow a famous first-leg victory for Liverpool, who will firmly expect to finish off the European champions at Anfield on March 6 after overturning an early deficit.
Chelsea will also be confident of progressing to the Champions League quarter- finals after Andriy Shevchenko’s equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw away to FC Porto, but their satisfaction was tempered by concern over another injury to John Terry, who left the field on a stretcher after injuring his right ankle — a huge worry for Steve McClaren, the England head coach, before the critical European Championship qualifying matches away to Israel and Andorra next month.
Frank Lampard, Terry’s team-mate for club and country, said that he did not know the extent of the injury, but added: “I don’t think John comes off unless it’s pretty painful.”
The night, though, belonged to Liverpool and, despite his best efforts to tarnish his good work with his goal celebration, to Bellamy. The Wales forward is understood to have been fined two weeks’ wages — more than £80,000 — for his antics last week and may also have jeopardised any long-term future under Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, but he headed the 43rd-minute goal that restored parity before setting up Riise to score the second with 16 minutes remaining.
“I’m still gob-smacked,” Bellamy said. “Just coming to the Nou Camp today was unreal. It’s my boy’s 10th birthday today so it’s special. There has been no problem [in the squad], we’ve trained all week. We all know how strict the gaffer is — if there was a big problem, I wouldn’t be here.”
He added that reports of his falling-out with Riise “don’t bother me, I just try to get on with things. Today it was a great result but it’s only half-time and at Anfield it will be a completely different game. As good as the result is, there is still a long way to go.”
There were some winces among the Liverpool officials in the directors’ box at Bellamy’s celebrations — perhaps almost as many as at the offices of William Hill, the bookmaker, who had offered odds of 100-1 that the forward would dare to do such a thing if he scored. Conspiracy theorists may have raised an eyebrow at what followed his goal — awarded to Bellamy even though Dirk Kuyt followed up to make sure after Víctor Valdés, the Barcelona goalkeeper, spilt the ball on the line — but William Hill were said not to have received any unusually large bets.
Bellamy and Riise embraced again at the final whistle, the former having been substituted ten minutes earlier, although there was a distinct lack of eye contact. As they headed to the dressing-room, Bellamy’s golf-club swing was repeated by Jerzy Dudek, the substitute goalkeeper — another who was disciplined on his return from the Algarve, where he is reported to have been handcuffed by police as events briefly spiralled out of control.
Liverpool, though, will hope that the matter is behind them after a glorious night on which the only sour note was an injury to Mohamed Sissoko late in the game. Like Terry, he hurt an ankle.
The Guardian:
Kevin McCarra at the Camp Nou
Thursday February 22, 2007
This precious result was just one element in an astounding night for Liverpool. They had initially been outclassed in the delicate facets of the game but are now on the verge of knocking out the holders and entering the quarter-finals. Such was the transformation that they were a far sounder line-up by the end than psychologically fragile Barcelona, who conceded two hapless goals.
In its own manner it was a recovery as uncanny as the overhauling of the 3-0 deficit to Milan before winning this tournament in 2005. Last night the task was to resist the sense of inferiority that might have been stamped indelibly on to Liverpool minds when Barcelona's panache was at its most hypnotic. In reality that stretch of the game was short, but the flakiness of Frank Rijkaard's line-up could never have been exploited without the self-belief of Rafael Benítez's squad.
On such a disconcerting evening it was perversely apt that John Arne Riise and Craig Bellamy, who had such severe differences during the Algarve altercation a week ago, should be clasped together when the Welshman laid on the 74th-minute decider for the Norwegian. That was not to be overshadowed and a late free-kick by Deco bounced off the far post.
Barcelona were as frail in defence as they were delicately beguiling in attack. Liverpool, outplayed and exposed for prolonged spells, responded with conviction whenever the pressure eased because the champions of Spain were so insecure. Bellamy's equaliser must have astonished his team-mates even as it delighted them, but they also made sure it was a turning point.
Xabi Alonso sent a free-kick to Steve Finnan and when his cross was met by the forward his header flew straight to Victor Valdés. The goalkeeper was unaccountably positioned behind his line and therefore conceded a goal. Bellamy, gleeful over the current bout of notoriety, celebrated by pretending to swing a golf club.
Barcelona allowed that aberration to undermine them. They never regrouped and bore out claims that the Rijkaard era is winding down by flailing and flapping. In mitigation, their mood of shock was natural even if it should not have turned into the team's distinguishing characteristic in the second half.
Rijkaard's side had briefly seemed to be gliding on a higher plane. Benítez, the world authority on beating Barcelona since his days with Valencia, had his credentials questioned at first. The system had a makeshift air, with Barcelona relishing access to the wings that Liverpool had meant to deny them.
On the left Alvaro Arbeloa made his first start, with Riise in front of him, but it never looked as if Lionel Messi was outnumbered. The rhythm of Barcelona's passing and movement opened up space. In an even-handed way Rijkaard's players kept Finnan and Steven Gerrard in as much difficulty on the Liverpool right.
A dive by Ronaldinho in the 13th minute was shabby conduct, but the Brazilian's capacity to get into a penalty-box position was significant. Barcelona had free rein in the 14th minute, however. Gerrard could not stop Gianluca Zambrotta from crossing, Arbeloa failed to climb high enough to connect with the ball and Deco, free of Riise, headed in at the far post.
Deco was soon shooting against Pepe Reina after Messi had put him through and few would have guessed that Barcelona could be denied. Liverpool, though, had been bright when they got a loan of the ball and perhaps reminded themselves that Barcelona view defending as a task unworthy of them.
The second half opened with Liverpool far more effective in the system Benítez had set out. Rijkaard's reaction was characteristic, if reckless, and defensive resilience vanished from their midfield as Andrés Iniesta took over from Thiago Motta.
Liverpool had the briskness of men reprieved and the visitors went on the attack themselves with optimism. Barcelona yearned for transformational virtuosity but Rijkaard's men had become far better at bringing havoc down upon themselves. When the substitute Ludovic Giuly passed back into his own area Valdés impetuously picked the ball up to give away a free-kick. It was touched to Gerrard and, although the goalkeeper blocked his drive, Liverpool were so full of verve that Arbeloa swept in a dashing cross which Dirk Kuyt headed on to the bar.
Barcelona did get an invitation to regain the lead immediately before they fell behind, however. In the 73rd minute Javier Saviola wormed his way through and, when the ball ran free after being blocked by Reina, Messi seemed set to finish until Arbeloa got in the way of his effort.
Moments later Gerrard fed Kuyt and, although the Dutchman miscontrolled, Valdés hesitated and Rafael Márquez inadvertently knocked the ball down to Bellamy, who squared for Riise to hit the net with a right-foot drive.
In all the fundamentals of football competitiveness Liverpool had transformed themselves into the superior team for whom this conquest in Barcelona was only natural.
The Telegraph:
By Henry Winter in Barcelona
Last Updated: 12:33am GMT 22/02/2007
Barcelona (1) 1 Liverpool (1) 2
Craig Bellamy, the Welshman whose golf-club antics have dominated recent headlines, certainly knows how to make a party go with a swing and he launched some serious Liverpool revelry here last night. Not only did Bellamy equalise Deco's goal, and then celebrate by pretending to play a golf shot, but the Welshman also teed up John Arne Riise for Liverpool's amazing winner.
Barring a wonderful spell of first-half passing and moving, Barcelona, the defending champions, were poor, particularly defensively, and they had no answer to the constant running of Bellamy, the man of the match. Good displays could be found all over, from Riise to Dirk Kuyt, Jamie Carragher to Momo Sissoko. The night's only note of disappointment was the sight of Sissoko being carried away on a stretcher late on.
Liverpool had started with real pace and a high tempo, hounding Barcelona, and almost taking the lead when Riise over-clubbed his cross to Bellamy. The Welshman, who had aroused such understandable censure for taking a club to Riise's legs, finished the half with a goal, but he and his Liverpool colleagues were forced to endure a draining time until then, such was the danger posed by talents such as Ronaldinho.
Liverpool had sought to tame Ronaldinho early on, snapping into tackles on the elegant Brazilian, with Steve Finnan leading the ambush party. Ronaldinho, never short of ambition, even tried to claim a penalty when Finnan challenged him in the box, but the Greek referee, Kyros Vassaras, waved play on.
Irritated by Liverpool's close attentions, Ronaldinho took revenge in style, setting the stage for Barcelona's 14th-minute goal with a wonderful touch to ease the ball around the bemused Finnan and into the path of the flying Gianluca Zambrotta.
The Italian raced down the left, speeding into space vacated by Finnan, and comfortably bypassing a weak challenge from Steven Gerrard, the first Liverpool fireman on the scene. Zambrotta crossed quickly, giving the visitors' defence no time to set themselves. Alvaro Arbeloa, the Spaniard making his first start for Liverpool, failed to cut the ball out and Deco headed Barcelona in front.
Until Bellamy intervened, the pressure continued. Ronaldinho again conjured the ball around Finnan. Saviola, preferred to Eidur Gudjohnsen up front, shot wide. Lionel Messi kept cutting in from the right, guiding the ball away from Arbeloa, a right-back filling in on the left.
For a worrying period, the movement of Messi and his clever friends seemed too good for the visitors. Barcelona shirts teemed all over Liverpool's defence, occasionally over-theatrically such as when Ronaldinho tumbled under a perfectly legitimate Carragher challenge.
Benitez complained vociferously to the fourth official about Ronaldinho's antics, although his mood soon brightened. Three minutes before the break, Liverpool seized an away goal, exploiting the hosts' noted defensive vulnerabilites. Barcelona can be particularly lax at repelling quick set-pieces, and Liverpool went through the gears swiftly as Xabi Alonso drove a dead ball wide to Finnan on the right.
The Irishman's cross caught out Barcelona's defence, partly because they were all fixated by Dirk Kuyt's run, so allowing the unmarked Bellamy to send a powerful header speeding goalwards. Victor Valdes, Barcelona's goalkeeper, should have saved, yet he somehow dragged it over the line. Although Valdes then pushed the ball out, Kuyt's follow-up finish was irrelevant. The linesman had signalled Bellamy's effort was good.
In keeping with his golf-loving tendencies, Bellamy made immediately for the flag, sliding on his knees towards the corner. His celebration, pretending to swing a club, was a nice touch, a case of poking fun at recent headlines. Any hint of lingering dressing-room resentment towards Bellamy surely evaporated here. As they walked off at the break, Kuyt even gave Bellamy an affectionate hug.
Liverpool returned after the interval brimming with conviction. Bellamy was energy personified, darting down the channels, while Kuyt supported nimbly from slightly deep. Gerrard was deployed on the right, but was often inside, putting out fires, such as with one wonderful challenge to nick the ball off Ronaldinho. Finnan followed suit, matching his captain in dispossessing the Brazilian.
Mistakes crept into Barcelona's play. When Ludovic Giuly toe-poked the ball back to Valdes, the goalkeeper inexplicably picked it up, an offence immediately spotted by Bellamy and then Vassaras. Alonso set up Gerrard, whose drive was saved by Valdes. Still Liverpool came, and Kuyt wasted a wonderful chance by heading over.
Frank Rijkaard's players tried to shake off their sloth, and they almost regained the lead after 72 minutes.
Messi weaved some magic, releasing Saviola into the box. Liverpool stood firm in the teeth of all this Latin American menace coming their way; Reina saved well from Saviola before Arbeloa deflected Messi's shot behind.
Then, Liverpool took the lead. When Finnan dinked the ball in from the right, Gerrard sent Kuyt through in on goal. Valdes saved, but his centre-halves then let him down badly.
Rafael Marquez's clearing header would have drawn derision in a schoolboy match, and Bellamy eagerly latched on to the ball, keeping with the golf theme by teeing up Riise, whose right-footed drive disappeared past a stunned Valdes. Liverpool were in dream land.
Match details
Barcelona (4-2-1-3): Valdes; Belletti, Marquez, Puyol, Zambrotta; Xavi (Giuly 65), Motta (Iniesta 54); Deco; Messi, Saviola (Gudjohnsen 83), Ronaldinho. Subs: Jorquera (g), Van Bronckhorst, Thuram, Oleguer. Booked: Belletti.
Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa; Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko (Zenden 84), Riise; Bellamy (Pennant 80), Kuyt (Crouch 90). Subs: Dudek (g), Hyypia, Gonzalez, Mascherano. Booked: Agger, Kuyt, Sissoko.
Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).
Bellamy tees up Liverpool success
By Charles Carrick
Last Updated: 12:32am GMT 22/02/2007
Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise, who last weekend were allegedly brawling at a training camp in Portugal, both found the scoresheet in the Nou Camp last night to give Liverpool a wonderful chance of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League at the expense of holders Barcelona.
Welsh striker Bellamy had reportedly set about Norwegian international Riise with a golf club following an argument at a karaoke evening.
After scoring the equalising goal in last night's 2-1 quarter-final first-leg win, he celebrated with an extravangant pretend golf swing and later said he was "gobsmacked" by the win.
Bookmaker William Hill had earlier in the day offered odds of 100-1 on a golf-style celebration; a spokesman admitted last night: "We never expected to get turned over on this one.
"We will be lucky if we get away with a loss less than £50,000."
Bellamy turned provider to tee up Riise's goal in the 74th minute. Deco had given Barcelona the lead in the 14th minute.
Chelsea may have paid a heavy price for their 1-1 draw away to Porto after John Terry was carried off with an injured right ankle within the first 10 minutes. The England captain has only just returned to action after major back surgery in December and having his comeback delayed still further by a calf injury.
He looks likely to miss Sunday's Carling Cup final with Arsenal in Cardiff. It could also put a question mark over his involvement in the England squad for the European Championship qualifiers against Israel and Andorra next month.
The Scotsman:
Bellamy and Riise sink Barcelona
SIMON CASKETT AT THE NOU CAMP
Barcelona 1 - Deco 14
Liverpool 2 - Bellamy (43), Riise (74)
LIVERPOOL'S Craig Bellamy and John-Arne Riise put a week of controversy behind them when they grabbed the goals that earned a memorable comeback win at European champions Barcelona in the first leg of the first Champions League knockout round.
Wales striker Bellamy, who faces an £80,000 fine for an altercation with Riise in a pre-match training camp in Portugal, equalised two minutes before the break with a diving header in the first leg clash at the Nou Camp.
Norway defender Riise snatched the winner 16 minutes from time when he blasted a shot high into the net after dreadful defending by the home side. "It was destiny," Riise said. "It's all over, it's behind us and we have to look to the future now."
Ronaldinho helped Barcelona to an early lead when he slipped a clever disguised pass out to full-back Gianluca Zambrotta just inside the Liverpool half in the 14th minute. The Italian charged down the right flank, clipped a great cross towards the unmarked Deco at the far post and he steered a header low past Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
But Liverpool equalised minutes from the break when Bellamy burst into the area to meet Steve Finnan's cross and send a diving header towards a surprised Valdes, who ended up dragging the ball over his own line.
Bellamy, in the team despite reportedly hitting Riise with a golf club at the team's Algarve training camp, cheekily celebrated by practising his swing.
Barcelona continued to have the lion's share of the ball in the second half, but found themselves frustrated time and again by Liverpool's muscular midfield and well-ordered back four.
Riise then stunned the Barca crowd when he blasted high into the net after Valdes had blocked a Dirk Kuyt shot as his defenders stood by and watched.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez credited his side's troubled pre-match training camp in Portugal for helping them beat the European champions.
"The training camp in Portugal was very helpful for us," said Benitez. "The commitment of the players was good before and after the problems. The atmosphere was always very good and it would have been good even if the events hadn't happened
"It was a bit of a coincidence to see Bellamy and Riise scoring the goals and I'm really pleased for them."
Barcelona: Valdes, Belletti, Marquez, Puyol, Zambrotta, Xavi (Giuly 65), Motta (Iniesta 54), Deco, Messi, Saviola (Gudjohnsen 82), Ronaldinho. Subs not used: Jorquera, Van Bronckhorst, Thuram, Oleguer. Booked: Belletti, Zambrotta.
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Riise, Finnan, Sissoko (Zenden 84), Alonso, Gerrard, Bellamy (Pennant 80), Kuyt (Crouch 90). Subs not used: Dudek, Hyypia, Gonzalez, Mascherano. Booked: Agger, Kuyt, Sissoko, Bellamy.
Referee: K Vassaras (Gree). Attendance: 88,000
.
Comment