SC Braga vs Liverpool Half-Time Update
- By A.D. Winn on March 10, 2011 18:47 GMT
Liverpool and Braga have reached half-time in their 1st leg match in Portugal, where the current score is 1-0 with the better football coming from the home side.
After a quiet start to the match, the home crowd came to life on 16 minutes when Mossoro was caught by Kyrgiakos’ trailing leg inside the penalty box. 31-year-old Brazilian winger Alan calmly converted beyond Pepe Reina from the spot to put the home side a goal up.
Liverpool’s took a while to get out of first gear – they had a free kick on 25 minutes but Raul Meireles fired straight into the wall. At times they have appeared to have struggled with the constant pressure from Braga, and with a greater possession and number of chances, the home side are growing in confidence, which will worry Reds boss Kenny Dalglish.
The Scotsman would ideally like to head into the 2nd leg at Anfield with an away goal under their belt, and has attacking options on the bench should he require them.
Braga almost went two goals ahead with eight minutes left of the half – a sneaky, daisy-cutting free-kick from * caught Liverpool off-guard, as the ball was passed to Mossoro who fired his shot against a handful of Liverpool players. The loose ball eventually found Silvio, who fired in a rocket of a volley that bounced off of the Liverpool bar with Reina helpless.
The news before kick-off was that new striker Andy Carroll has only made the bench for his new team, so with Luis Suarez cup-tied Liverpool lead with Dirk Kuyt up front, having netted three times at the weekend against Manchester United.
Playmaker Joe Cole is handed a rare start in the Liverpool midfield, alongside other fringe players Christian Poulsen and Jay Spearing.
Brazilian midfielder Alan picked up a stomach strain in their last game, but was fit enough to start. His side have already played Arsenal and Celtic so far this season, impressing against both.
Braga: Artur Moraes, Miguel Garcia, Kaka, Rodriguez, Silvio, Leandro Salino, Hugo Viana, Alan, Mossoro, Paulo Cesar, Lima
Substitutes: Cristiano, Paulao, Helder Barbosa, Meyong, Dani, Peterson, Anibal
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Johnson, Poulsen, Lucas, Spearing, Meireles, Cole, Kuyt
Substitutes: Gulacsi, Pacheco, Maxi, Wilson, Ngog, Carroll, Flanagan
