UKRAINE: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Liverpool mamager Rafa Benitez praises Haifa after losing to his team in their Champions League qualifying match in Kiev

Liverpool progressed to the group stage of the Champions League with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Maccabi Haifa but had a nervous last 25 minutes on Tuesday as they were held to a 1-1 second leg draw in neutral Kiev. Leading 2-1 from the Anfield leg, the 2005 European champions failed to take their chances after dominating the first half of a match played in Ukraine because of the security situation in Israel. Liverpool finally broke through in the 54th minute when Jermaine Pennant reached the byline and picked out Peter Crouch, the big England striker showing great determination to get in front of his defender and head home from close range. Maccabi equalised nine minutes later when Brazilian Anderson produced a rare surging run from midfield. Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina parried his shot but Argentine striker Roberto Colautti, who scored Maccabi's goal in the first leg, seized on the rebound to score. That lifted the Israeli side and Reina had to produce a great save to touch clear a superb Colautti curler seven minutes from time as they sought the goal that would have taken the game to extra time. However, five-times European champions Liverpool held out to make it into Thursday's draw.

ITN Source | August 23, 2006

Tags:. .security. .produced. .extra. .save. .football