Official LFC Website, 9 Mar 2005 RAFA: MAYBE WE CAN WIN THE CL Paul Rogers in Leverkusen
Rafael Benitez tonight spoke with pride about the way his injury-hit squad had risen to the occasion and forced their critics to eat their words as they stormed into the Champions League quarter finals after a 6-2 aggregate in Germany.
Even with a 3-1 lead from the first-leg at Anfield, many tipped the Reds to be knocked out of the competition but goals from Luis Garcia and Milan Baros ensured a safe pbuttage through to the last eight of Europe's premier cup competition. "I think we played very well in the first half. We started with a very high tempo and we got the goals, which made our task a lot easier. We have played better in the Champions League this season against Monaco, Deportivo and Olympiacos but tonight was a good night for the fans, the players and everyone connected to the club. "We know how important this competition is for the fans and that is why I am very happy with the result tonight. We have been working very hard to achieve this result and maybe other teams will now look at Liverpool and think, 'Be careful.' "We are not thinking about winning the competition right now. Maybe we can win it but first we must concentrate on our next match. We will wait to see the draw and then prepare for that tie." Asked by a supporter who had bunked into the press conference whether Liverpool could catch Everton in the race for fourth place, Rafa simply smiled and answered, "Yes." With that last comment, he got up and left before posing for pictures with the supporters. His work for the night was done.
-- "In some ways cramp is worse than having a broken leg." - Kevin Keegan
