Sport 07-11-2003 Steaua Bucharest 1 Liverpool 1 who: Liverpool what: Draw 1-1 with Steaua Bucharest in UEFA Cup second round first leg where: Bucharest when: Last night snippet: "A first goal in 91 appearances for Liverpool by utility defender Djimi Traore made Gerard Houllier`s team favourites to come through a difficult UEFA Cup second round tie against Steaua Bucharest," says The Telegraph. "Although Traore`s first-half goal was cancelled out midway through the second period by Claudiu Raducana, Liverpool will be confident of finishing their job on a more reliable Anfield pitch in three weeks` time." "Any illusions Liverpool had that the game in Bucharest would be anything less than an ordeal would have been shattered when they saw the state of the pitch," comments The Independent`s Paul Walker from the Ghencea Stadium. "Rolls of plastic had covered the surface all day, but gallons of water had to be removed, and it took a long time for the handful of groundsmen to brush that away. The clean-up operation had limited success and prompted Houllier to pick a team for the conditions, with John Arne Riise as an extra defensive midfielder and Vladimir Smicer on the bench." "Only a freak typhoon could ensure the conditions would be any worse" when they play the return leg at Anfield, agrees Alyson Rudd in The Times. "It was, in the circumstances, one of the grittiest performances delivered by Liverpool under Gérard Houllier." "I had some doubts at the beginning of the match that it could ever be played in those conditions. In the end, obviously, I`m glad that the referee decided to let it go ahead, even if it was farcical at times," says Houllier, quoted in The Mirror. "It was a tremendous result for us and a tremendous performance, with great fighting spirit and skill as well." [... more]

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