retired_elisaacct

Just played the best game ever in the history of my life as a Champo/Footman addict.

First, some background.... Played Valencia away and lost 2-1, scored the all important away goal though :thup:

Going into the home leg I should have been confident... but with my starting DC pairing of Hyypia and Burdisso both out injured, my first choice back up of Jamie Carragher out injured, starting DMC Vincent Kompany injured, back-up DMC Jens Jeremies ineligible and Harry Kewell away on international duty, you can understand why I wasn't confident in the slightest.

I only had one recognised and registered DC to call on in Mark Jones so John Arne Riise had to shift inside and play DC. Josemi started on the right and the natural right footed Lahm shifted to the left. Stevie G dropped back to DMC as I had absolutely no other options. Santana stayed on the right, Luis Garcia moved into the centre of the park and Bierofka got a start on the left. The Double D's of Didier and Djibril started up front. Not really that bad a looking side. Only problem came when I had to name seven bench players.

Kirkland and Baros were the only two regulars on the bench with Adu an easy choice to take a third spot. Vanden Borre got called up from the U18 side, partially due to his brilliance but mostly due to his versatility. Adam Hammill made the bench yet again and I was left with 2 spots to fill from the rest of my "star studded" squad

Patrick Binder, 18yo regen defender took spot 1. Brilliant physical stats, head :thdn:ing of 18 and nothing else above 10 :blah: Sahin Ekrem, 16yo Turkish regen took spot 2. Can play anywhere in defense or at DMC so he was picked for versatily ahead of anything else. "Quality" bench

The match got underway with Leo Franco tipping a Vicente shot over from the kick off. I thought I was in trouble. Valencia pounded me first half but the side held on. Mark Jones scored from a corner just before the break but it was disallowed I changed tactics a bit and things looked a bit better in the second half, my team dominating precedings.

Then it happened.

With 8 of my players up for a corner, Valencia caught my defensive pair out on the counter and Naldo put them up 1-0 after 71 minutes. Riise, completely unaccustomed to the DC position was having a shocker, so I brought on Vanden Borre. I needed more attacking options so I took Luis Garcia off and brought on Baros, playing a 4-3-3. For 10 minutes, all was quiet until a Bierofka picked up a poor clearance, dribbled past Ayala and whipped the cross in for Stevie G to head home. 1-1 with 9 minutes plus injury time.

I desperately needed another goal so I shifted the MR/ML into AMR/AML positions with runs to the FR/FL positions. Gerrard at MC had a forward run to the AMC position while both fullbacks had runs to the AMR/AML positions. Both DC's had runs to MC. It was no guts no glory stuff. Everyone forward

At the 88 minute mark, Drogba got injured and I had to make my last sub. Freddy Adu, wonderkid extraordinaire came on to weave some magic in the dying minutes. 2 minutes into injury time, Vanden Borre and Santana combined up the right flank only to have Santana's cross blocked by Vicente, out for a corner. Leo Franco charged forward, standing outside the box while Santana stepped up to whip the corner in. Cisse and Ayala went up for the corner, Ayala heading it clear.... only as far as Leo Franco who kicked it back into the box where Lahm smashed it home! :cool:

The full time whistle went, aggregate locked at 3-3, both teams scoring one away goal.

Valencia came out with men behind the ball, obviously playing for a draw and the ensuing penalty shoot out. Yellow cards went flying with Placente, Vicente and Corcoles all getting booked within minutes of kick off. Still, they did their job and kept my side without a shot on goal in the opening 15 minutes. In the end though, their fouling would be their undoing.

From the 2nd half of extra time kick off, Baros made an incisive run only to be hacked down by Placente just outside the box. The wall formed, 7 men in it and the youngest man on the pitch stepped up to take the kick. A wickedly bending shot up and over the wall, nestled neatly in to the top corner

Liverpool proceed to the quarter finals with a 4-3 aggregate :cool: