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Reds out as Basel, Juve progress
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A MEMORABLE Steven Gerrard strike could not prevent Liverpool from being eliminated from the Champions League as Basel went through on Tuesday, while Juventus and Monaco also advanced to the last 16.
Liverpool is enduring a deeply disappointing season but the Anfield club knew that a win at home to Basel would take it through from Group B into the knockout stage for the first time since 2009.
However, Basel, a convincing winner when the sides met in Switzerland two months ago, needed only a point and a pinpoint strike by Fabian Frei in the 25th minute set it on its way.
An already enormous task for Liverpool appeared impossible when Lazar Markvoic was harshly sent off for a flailing arm in the direction of Behrang Safari, and although Gerrard drew it level nine minutes from time with a beautifully-flighted free-kick, the Premier League side could not find a winner.
“The expectation was to get through the group. We haven’t done that because we haven’t been good enough, but we’ll learn from that,” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, whose side must now settle for the consolation of a place in the Europa League, told Sky Sports.
In contrast, Basel coach Paulo Sousa said: “We are working in this direction to achieve important things like we achieved today, which gives us the opportunity to challenge other fantastic teams.”
Italian champion Juventus, knocked out at the group stage 12 months ago, is through from Group A after a 0-0 draw at home to last season’s beaten finalist Atletico Madrid, which progresses as the group winner.
The draw for Juventus means Olympiakos drops into the Europa League despite a 4-2 win in Greece against a Malmo side which finished with 10 men, with David Fuster, Alejandro Dominguez, Kostas Mitroglou and Ibrahim Afellay scoring.
Meanwhile, it was a memorable night for Monaco, which needed only a point at home to Zenit St Petersburg to advance but a 2-0 win in the Principality, coupled with a 0-0 draw between Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen in Lisbon, saw it go through as the Group C winner.
Second-half goals from Aymen Abdennour and Fabinho secured the victory for Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco, which has not qualified for the knockout stage since it reached the final in 2004.
“Qualifying was important for me, but more so for the team, the Principality and for French football,” said Jardim.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid rounded off its Group B campaign with a 4-0 defeat of Ludogorets Razgrad at the Santiago Bernabeu, its task being facilitated by the early sending-off of Marcelinho for a handball.
In Group D, two stunning Aaron Ramsey strikes helped Arsenal to a morale-boosting 4-1 win against eliminated Galatasaray in Istanbul.
Ramsey’s brace came either side of two goals by Lukas Podolski, while Wesley Sneijder got one back for the Turkish side. Both of Ramsey’s goals were easy on the eye, but his second — a rising 30-yard left-foot volley — was the standout moment and the Welsh midfielder said it was “definitely the best goal I’ve scored”.
Despite the win, Arsenal finish second in the group behind Borussia Dortmund, which drew 1-1 at home to Anderlecht, Ciro Immobile giving the hosts the lead in Germany before Aleksandar Mitrovic equalized.
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