Paris: Liverpool and Tottenham reached the Europa League last 32 on Thursday while Scottish interest in continental competition came to another sobering end when Celtic were knocked out.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool defeated Bordeaux 2-1 at Anfield having endured the worst possible start when injury-plagued England striker Daniel Sturridge’s comeback from a knee injury stalled when he hurt his foot in training.
The English side then fell a goal down in the Group ‘B’ clash in bizarre fashion after 33 minutes when goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was penalised for holding onto the ball for 20 seconds rather than the permitted six.
Henri Saivet buried the resulting free-kick but Liverpool were level just five minutes later when James Milner scored from the penalty spot after Ludovic Sane fouled Christian Benteke. Belgian star Benteke then hit what proved to be the winner in first-half injury time with a rasping right-footed drive.
“It was an important night for the whole team because we are in the next round. A few weeks ago we were with three points and now we have nine,” said Klopp. Harry Kane headed Tottenham into the last 32, the red-hot England striker's ninth goal in six matches earning Spurs a 1-0 win at Azerbaijani champions Qarabag.
Kane’s decisive second half goal assured the Group ‘J’ leaders qualification into the knockout stages with a game to spare. Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded a strong side at Qarabag’s Azersun Arena in Baku.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
