Bišcan fulfils eastern promise

By Adrian Harte at Anfield

Liverpool FC supporters dreading the possible departure of Steven Gerrard got a taste of life without their inspirational captain, and it was not at all bad as their team took a huge step towards reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 win against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the first leg of their first knockout round tie.

Talismanic presence
Gerrard epitomises the local heart of Liverpool, and his talismanic presence can be as influential as his lung-bursting all-action displays. But in his absence Liverpool, also missing Spanish pair Xabi Alonso and Fernando Morientes as well as Matchday 6 heroes Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, displayed a fire and ferocity that has been lacking in recent displays. Gerrard's deputy, Igor Bišcan, also showed that his Anfield career should not yet be written off.

Cult favourite
The leggy Croatian international has spent most of his time at Liverpool on the outside looking in. Starting as a promising central midfield player, he became a utility player before Gérard Houllier tried to convert him into a centre-half. Neither incarnation proved as successful as his stature as cult fan favourite - surely the ultimate indignity for any serious professional.

True talent
However this season he has shown glimpses of true talent, most notably away against RC Deportivo La Coruña in the group stage of the competition. Linking defence and attack seamlessly against Leverkusen, he ran John Arne Riise close as the best player on view, and was the architect of Liverpool's opening goal. He received the ball under pressure, pivoted balletically away from danger and then played a perfect pass for Luis García to score. Minutes later he threaded through another pass for García but the Spaniard was denied on this occasion.

No Anglo-German affair
Bišcan's contribution underlined the match's eastern European accent. The realities of football finance dictate that only seven of UEFA's 52 member associations have clubs in the last 16, but fans from east of the Danube still have a stake in the competition. Six players from eastern Europe started the game, while the presence of players from the Republic of Ireland, Finland and Norway showed that this was no Anglo-German affair.

Riise reborn
Riise's delightful free-kick was the highlight of a brilliant personal performance from the Norwegian, who has been reborn as a ginger winger under Rafael Benítez. Czech star Milan Baroš impressed even if his golden boots were not quite as goal-laden as during UEFA EURO 2004™.

Dangerous Berbatov
Meanwhile Leverkusen's main threat came from their own eastern European striker, Dimitar Berbatov, widely rated as the foremost forward in the Bundesliga. Strong, mobile and very dangerous picking up possession when drifting to the left, the Bulgarian came close with a half-volley after 13 minutes and then sent a great shot just wide on the turn four minutes later.

Gilt-edged chance
However, he spurned a gilt-edged chance after 29 minutes when he shot wide when clean through but atoned somewhat as he played his part as Leverkusen struck at the death through França to cancel out Dietmar Hamann's strike seconds previously.

Late goals
Those late goals could yet be crucial. Since the UEFA Champions League introduced a knockout element in 1994/95, 100 per cent of home teams that won 2-0 in the first leg have advanced to the next round; the figure for 3-1 wins is 75 per cent. But whatever the statistics, Liverpool will be confident of reaching the last eight for the first time since 2002 and their fans will not be quite as fearful of what might lie ahead in the summer.