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Liverpool win but South China seize moment
2007-07-24
Second-string Liverpool strolled into the Asia Trophy final 3-1 against South China on Tuesday but the unfancied home side stole the show with a spectacular long-range free-kick. With star attractions Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres rested, it was left to South China captain Li Haiqiang to provide the fireworks as he embarrassed Liverpool 'keeper Scott Carson from fully 40 yards. John Arne Riise and Xabi Alonso had put the Premier League giants 2-0 up and, after some tepid play, defender Daniel Agger put paid to South China's hopes with Liverpool's third on 74 minutes. The Champions League runners-up will play Portsmouth in Friday's final after their narrow 1-0 win over fellow Premiership club Fulham. Despite the gulf in class, Liverpool needed a set-piece to open the scoring and it was Riise who obliged with a trademark left-foot thunderbolt on 10 minutes. The Norwegian crashed his shot from a central position past the wall and into the top right-hand corner with South China goalkeeper Zhang Chunhui doing better to stay out of the way. Pony-tailed Ukrainian import Andriy Voronin could have made it two on 14 minutes but his hard work paid off near the half-hour mark when he was up-ended in the box. Alonso calmly stepped up to slot Liverpool's second from the spot, beating Zhang to his left. But South China were far from done and Li provided the highpoint of the night with his sensational effort on 34 minutes. The captain looked set to cross but instead caught Carson napping with a spectacular curling effort which crept in to the top left. Coach Rafael Benitez introduced Jermaine Pennant and Dirk Kuyt shortly after half-time and the Dutch striker had a hand in Liverpool's third, touching off Riise's cross to Agger who finished accurately. Kuyt missed an open goal in the dying minutes, summing up a pedestrian performance from Liverpool who seemed happier to conserve energy than impress the 37,000 fans. Earlier ex-England goalkeeper David James won rave reviews as Portsmouth edged Fulham 1-0 to reach the final. Zimbabwe international Benjani Mwaruwari struck just before half-time but Pompey had the livewire James to thank as he kept Fulham at bay with some electric saves. "It's what we've come to expect from David James -- he's just the most fantastic goalkeeper," said Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp. "I've said all along I don't think there's a better goalkeeper in the Premiership than David James. He's just fantastic and he showed that again today." With eight new signings starting in humid conditions, it was ex-Aston Villa man Steven Davis who almost broke the deadlock after an intelligent Alexei Smertin backheel. Davis picked out the unmarked Dempsey from the right on 43 minutes but the midfielder's point-blank header was straight at James. The former Liverpool man denied Dempsey again almost immediately afterwards when he tipped his shot round the post. But Portsmouth landed a sucker-punch on the stroke of half-time when Nico Kranjcar's speculative shot was parried by Zat Knight into the path of Mwaruwari, who gratefully buried the easy chance. Fulham's six-million-pound striker Kamara stole in to the six-yard box on 56 minutes but James again saved brilliantly by diving at his feet. Collins John should have done better than blast over when the ball fell to him in the six-yard box, and James was also on hand to stop a driven effort by Papa Diop from distance.
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