Tuesday Mar 11 2008 21:57
Liverpool ensured there will be four teams from the same country in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time after Fernando Torres' second-half goal secured a 1-0 victory over Internazionale.
Rafa Benitez's side were strong favourites to join Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in the hat for Friday's last eight draw after claiming a 2-0 lead with late goals in the first leg at Anfield last month.
But, in truth, the Reds were rarely troubled by a disappointing Inter side, whose attacking aspirations were blunted by the somewhat harsh second-half dismissal of Nicolas Burdisso.
Liverpool, plus the rest of their Premier League colleagues, will now go into the draw for a last eight dominated by English clubs, alongside one side from each of Italy, Germany, Spain and Turkey.
Inter had started in determined fashion with the fit-again Zlatan Ibrahimovic a handful and Jose Reina was forced into a ninth minute save when Julio Cruz tried to pick out the bottom corner with a shot on the turn from 18 yards.
However, that was to be as close as the home side would come to gaining a foothold in the tie as Liverpool produced a professional display in which they appeared to play with more urgency.
Inter keeper Julio Cesar saved his side on the half-hour mark when he blocked Torres' low drive at the base of his post, after Esteban Cambiasso's slip had let in the Spanish hot-shot.
At the other end, Cruz selfishly went for goal rather than square the ball for the unmarked Dejan Stankovic and dragged a low shot wide of the far post.
Inter ended the first half in the ascendancy and Reina pounced on an audacious Cruz flick virtually on his goal-line, after the striker improvised when Maicon's low cross went behind him.
But the Italian champions lost all their impetus when the referee ruled Burdisso's 49th minute challenge was worthy of a second yellow card.
The defender and Lucas Leiva both challenged with high feet for a 50-50 ball in midfield, but the referee ruled in favour of the Reds and astonished the Inter bench when he issues a second caution to Burdisso.
To rub salt into the wounds, Torres then killed off an unhappy Inter when he struck a decisive blow in the 63rd minute.
Left-back Fabio Aurelio won possession on the halfway line and drove down the flank before picking out Torres, who was given a yard by Cristian Chivu to turn and pick out the bottom corner with a devastating low strike.
Liverpool celebrated as if the knew they had already won the tie and a rather limp Inter, whose own fans turned on them in the dying stages, never seriously tested Reina in a straightforward final 25 minutes.
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