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Late Lopez goal denies Liverpool

Wed 4th, November 2009

Lyon, France (Sports Network) - Liverpool's hopes of reaching the knockout round took a major blow on Wednesday at the Stade de Gerland as Lisandro Lopez scored in the 90th minute to help Lyon earn a 1-1 draw with Liverpool in Champions League Group E play.

The Reds entered Wednesday needing a win to put themselves back in contention for a spot in the last 16, and after a wonderful strike from Ryan Babel in the 83rd minute broke a scoreless deadlock, it looked like they would get just that.

However, a flicked header from Michel Bastos allowed Lopez to get into the box and fire past goalkeeper Pepe Reina, giving the French side the point it needed to secure a spot in the next round.

Liverpool enjoyed a much better opening half as Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris needed to be on top of his game to keep his team in the match.

Fernando Torres had the first chance 12 minutes into the game but had his shot stopped by the legs of Lloris, while Dirk Kuyt's eight-yard effort needed a great reaction stop at the top corner by the French keeper.

Andriy Voronin had the best opportunity of the first half when he was left with a one-on-one chance but shot straight at Lloris.

The Lyon goalkeeper needed to be sharp again in the 69th minute when Lucas had a great look at goal from close range but had his shot turned aside by the palm of Lloris.

The hosts had a rare chance in the 74th minute when Lopez was able to cut in front of Reina and intercept a poor back pass by defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos, but he drilled his shot off the shoulder of the keeper.

Babel was brought into the game midway through the half and he produced a brilliant goal seven minutes from time that looked to be the winner.

After collecting the ball 30 yards from goal, the Dutchman cut past one defender and drove a shot into the upper left corner of the net that just made it under the crossbar.

However, just like they did a few weeks ago at Anfield to win the match, Lyon produced more late drama with Bastos heading the ball on to Lopez for a dramatic equalizer that leaves Liverpool's hopes of advancing on life support.

The other match in the group saw Fiorentina move five points clear of Liverpool in second place as they handed Debrecen a 5-2 defeat.

Fiorentina now trails Lyon by one point, and they will join the French side in the next round with a win at home on Matchday 5 against Lyon.

Group F has seen heavyweights Barcelona and Inter Milan struggle to pick up wins, and the defending champions had more trouble with Russian side Rubin as they were held to a 0-0 draw, while Inter Milan claimed its first win in the group as Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder scored in the last four minutes to complete a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Dynamo Kyiv. The result moves Inter to the top of the group, while Rubin and Barcelona are both one point back. Dynamo Kyiv is fourth but only two points off the pace.

Sevilla booked its place in the knockout round as they earned a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart as Jesus Navas scored in the first half, only to have his opener canceled out by Stuttgart's Zdravko Kuzmanovic in the 78th minute. Romanian side Unirea remains in second after Marius Onofras scored two minutes from time to help his team claim a 1-1 draw with Rangers, keeping the Scottish side on the bottom.

Group H leaders Arsenal have all but moved on after their convincing 4-1 win over AZ Alkmaar, while Standard Liege climbed into third place after beating Olympiacos, 2-0. Cesc Fabregas scored twice for the Gunners, who only need one more point from their last two games to advance, while Olympiacos is now just two points ahead of Standard Liege in the race for second place.