Fiorentina 2 – Liverpool FC 0
19 year old Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic scored twice in a 2-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League yesterday, with the five-time winners failing to create a single chance in the first half.
Jovetic took a pass from Cristiano Zanetti and slid the ball past goalkeeper Pepe Reina in the 28th, then redirected in a shot from Juan Vargas nine minutes later.
Both Fiorentina and Liverpool started with two lines of midfielders and a single centre forward.
Fresh off a hat trick against Hull on Saturday, Premier League scoring leader Fernando Torres spearheaded Liverpool's attack, while Mutu was at the front of Fiorentina's assault with usual centre forward Alberto Gilardino beginning a two-match suspension.
Fiorentina dominated nearly the entire first half, with Liverpool producing only a few fruitless counterattacks.
Jovetic had a shot deflected wide by a defender in the 16th and Marco Marchionni's bicycle kick skimmed less than a metre over the Liverpool goal a minute later, although he was offside.
In the 23rd, Jovetic missed the target from 25 metres. In between Jovetic's two goals, Vargas nearly scored with a powerful shot that Reina did well to deflect wide.
Liverpool's first scoring opportunity didn't come until Yossi Benayoun's angled shot was pushed wide by goalkeeper Sebastien Frey two minutes into the second half. On the ensuing corner, Dirk Kuyt's header landed just over the bar.
Jamie Carragher missed the target in the 59th, and Torres missed a volley in the 76th as Fiorentina sat back and protected its lead. Torres hardly threatened otherwise.
It was Liverpool’s first reverse in the group stage for almost two years and leaves them third in Group E behind the Italians and leaders Lyon, who have a 100% record after winning 4-0 at Hungarian outsiders Debrecen.
Rafa Benitez said “Never have I seen this team struggle so badly as we did in the first half,It was a poor performance. They pressed us into making mistakes, and we didn’t do anything that we spoke about.”
We knew it could be difficult but Fiorentina did well and we were bad in everything.”
“It will be totally different,” he said. “Hopefully we will see the Liverpool Football Club we saw in the second half tonight. That will be better.”
The Liverpool manager also praised the performance of Fiorentina and dismissed claims his team were caught out by the display of 19-year-old Jovetic.
“We knew he was a good player. We were watching some players and at this level he has been doing “Fiorentina have done a very good job,” said Benitez. “They pressed us all around the pitch and we were too nervous making too many mistakes. And if you make mistakes, you pay for them.
Benitez must now lift morale ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea, and will be expecting much better from his side at Stamford Bridge.
19 year old Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic scored twice in a 2-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League yesterday, with the five-time winners failing to create a single chance in the first half.
Jovetic took a pass from Cristiano Zanetti and slid the ball past goalkeeper Pepe Reina in the 28th, then redirected in a shot from Juan Vargas nine minutes later.
Both Fiorentina and Liverpool started with two lines of midfielders and a single centre forward.
Fresh off a hat trick against Hull on Saturday, Premier League scoring leader Fernando Torres spearheaded Liverpool's attack, while Mutu was at the front of Fiorentina's assault with usual centre forward Alberto Gilardino beginning a two-match suspension.
Fiorentina dominated nearly the entire first half, with Liverpool producing only a few fruitless counterattacks.
Jovetic had a shot deflected wide by a defender in the 16th and Marco Marchionni's bicycle kick skimmed less than a metre over the Liverpool goal a minute later, although he was offside.
In the 23rd, Jovetic missed the target from 25 metres. In between Jovetic's two goals, Vargas nearly scored with a powerful shot that Reina did well to deflect wide.
Liverpool's first scoring opportunity didn't come until Yossi Benayoun's angled shot was pushed wide by goalkeeper Sebastien Frey two minutes into the second half. On the ensuing corner, Dirk Kuyt's header landed just over the bar.
Jamie Carragher missed the target in the 59th, and Torres missed a volley in the 76th as Fiorentina sat back and protected its lead. Torres hardly threatened otherwise.
It was Liverpool’s first reverse in the group stage for almost two years and leaves them third in Group E behind the Italians and leaders Lyon, who have a 100% record after winning 4-0 at Hungarian outsiders Debrecen.
Rafa Benitez said “Never have I seen this team struggle so badly as we did in the first half,It was a poor performance. They pressed us into making mistakes, and we didn’t do anything that we spoke about.”
We knew it could be difficult but Fiorentina did well and we were bad in everything.”
“It will be totally different,” he said. “Hopefully we will see the Liverpool Football Club we saw in the second half tonight. That will be better.”
The Liverpool manager also praised the performance of Fiorentina and dismissed claims his team were caught out by the display of 19-year-old Jovetic.
“We knew he was a good player. We were watching some players and at this level he has been doing “Fiorentina have done a very good job,” said Benitez. “They pressed us all around the pitch and we were too nervous making too many mistakes. And if you make mistakes, you pay for them.
Benitez must now lift morale ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea, and will be expecting much better from his side at Stamford Bridge.
