Liverpool squeezed through in the UEFA Youth League but now face a difficult task in the round of 32 in the New Year
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Trent Kone-Doherty of Liverpool celebrates with Kyle Kelly after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Youth League match at Girona on December 10 2024
Trent Kone-Doherty of Liverpool celebrates with Kyle Kelly after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Youth League match at Girona on December 10 2024
Liverpool may not quite be assured of progress to the Champions League knockout stages just yet. But their wait won't be anything like as nervy as that experienced by the Academy on Tuesday afternoon.
With less than 10 minutes to go in their final UEFA Youth League opening round game at Girona, Liverpool under-19s, reduced to 10 men after the first-half dismissal of Ranel Young, were 2-1 down and heading out of the tournament.
An outstanding late equaliser from Trent Kone-Doherty to earn a point gave Barry Lewtas's side a fighting chance of finishing in the top 22 of the 36-team league and going through to the last 32.
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However, other results needed to go their way. And a few hours after the final whistle at the Estadi Municipal de Olot, Liverpool's place in the knockout stage was confirmed when Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen both failed to win.
"I'm delighted we have gone through," says Lewtas. "I thought we started brilliantly against Girona. Playing away from home in Europe is never easy but I thought we passed the ball well, and I think when we took the lead it was deserved. The red card changes the game, which was disappointing from our point of view.
"I was pleased for Trent and I thought we were a threat on both sides. He took his goal great and even though Girona had lots of crosses into our box in the second half, I thought overall with how we performed with 10 men we probably deserved that."
The red card for Young, just six minutes after Jayden Danns - making his first appearance in the UEFA Youth League this season - had opened the scoring from the spot was a bone of contention for Lewtas.
"What's disappointing for me was I don't think they got a yellow card in the game," he adds. "For ours to be a red card is tough but decisions are made, and for us it was trying to find a way of getting a result. They are a good team and they haven't lost a game so to do what we did with 10 men was fantastic. We showed great character."
Liverpool ended the first stage with eight points, having beaten Bologna and Bayer Leverkusen at home, drawn at AC Milan but lost at RB Leipzig and against Real Madrid at Kirkby.
With the first knockout round pairing a team who finished in the top six against one that ended up between 17th and 22nd, the Reds - who are in the latter group - will face a difficult tie when the competition resumes in February. Lewtas, though, believes the standard throughout has been high.
"We've had six really good challenges and six really good games," he adds. "The level of quality in this competition has been really good.
"We lost in Leipzig and that was probably fair, but it was frustrating we couldn't get something out of the Real Madrid game. We conceded early and missed some good chances. Overall, our level of performances have been really good but the odd slip-up at the top level can really cost you."