"Diaz shines bright in the Stadium of Light"

The first edition from my "Garden Sessions" as the UK bakes once more in a late Summer heatwave and here, in season 2021-2022, new signing Luis Díaz lights up the Stadium of Light and leads the Liverpool Reds to a 3-1 away victory in the Champions League.

More to follow in this mini-series but first, an extract from the chapter being read in this edition, a link to a book I'm immensely proud of and other ways and means of supporting me and helping to put the thumb in the eye to traditional publishers who refused to read my original manuscript!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6W6TYCL

https://www.patreon.com/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.paypal.me/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/steveblackford

"The beautiful game of football is awash in clichés and I take every opportunity to employ them as I love the direct and unambiguous nature of the language. Tonight was the very epitome of a “game of two halves” as well as a game, and I’d argue an entire two legged tie, that was over and done with inside 34 minutes before a sloppy and disjointed Liverpool invited their Portuguese hosts back into the game and with a vague hope for the return tie in 8 days time.

Roared on by a noisy and partisan Estadio da luz (Stadium of Light) crowd, Benfica started strongly but faded almost immediately into the set pattern of the first half as a whole:

Attack v Defence.

Liverpool in their change colours of all yellow swarmed all over their redshirted opponents and the template was set for the first 45 minutes and a half of football almost exclusively dominated by headers. The impressive Naby Keïta and the not so impressive, or inspired, Mo Salah, had shots that sandwiched a headed goal, and first ever goal for Liverpool from Ibrahima Konaté, and a selfless header across goal from Luis Díaz that presented the simplest of tap in goals for his striker partner Sadio Mané. With 34 minutes on the clock, Liverpool had a commanding 2–0 lead away from home and the entire Quarter-Final tie seemed to be over as a contest.

After Konaté’s opening goal on 17 minutes Liverpool simply turned the screw and pressed the enthusiasm from their Portuguese hosts. The game simply evolved into press/counter press with Benfica dropping deeper into their own half and gifting the Reds in Yellow as much of the ball as they wished. Benfica’s only chance of the half came on 33 minutes and despite a minimal challenge, ex Manchester City defender Nicolás Otamendi should have done better with his free header on goal, and a header he glanced wide of Alisson Becker’s goal. As is so often the way with this current Liverpool team, they scored almost immediately after they should themselves have conceded. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ridiculous bending forward pass set Luis Díaz free and rather than going for goal with his header, he instead deftly squared the ball into the path of the on rushing Sadio Mané and Liverpool glided their way effortlessly into the half-time break 2–0 up and absolutely cruising.

I have no idea who the team in yellow were in the second half!"

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