Disappointment for Lucescu and Thompson

Neither Mircea Lucescu nor Phil Thompson were happy with a point following the 1-1 draw between Galatasaray SK and Liverpool FC in their UEFA Champions League encounter in Istanbul on Tuesday.

'Had to win'
Galatasaray coach Lucescu could only watch on as his side conceded the late goal that now sees both clubs on the brink of elimination from Europe's premier club competition. With two matches remaining, the Turkish side are third in Group B and travel to face leaders AS Roma on Matchday Eleven knowing that a defeat would all but seal their fate. "We had to win this game," he said. “Now we must go to Rome and do our best to get three points."

'Not so easy'
Thompson, whose Liverpool side prop up the group table with three points, have an equally tough mission to complete when they visit the Camp Nou to play Spanish giants FC Barcelona. Again, defeat would almost certainly end their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. Should both Galatasaray and Liverpool lose their respective away matches, they would be unable to catch their group rivals and would bow out at the second hurdle. "The team deserved to win tonight but we were a little unlucky," Thompson said. "We still have a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals but now it is not so easy. I am pleased with the character shown by the team but I am not happy with just one point."

'Wasn't satisfied'
Lucescu admitted his frustration at seeing Galatasaray blow their lead after fighting for so long to gain the advantage. After watching Emile Heskey ram home the equaliser with eleven minutes remaining, he said: "I wasn't satisfied with the way my players played tonight. In the first half we did very well but after we scored our goal we relaxed. That meant that we then conceded a late goal. In future we must be more careful when we go in front."

'Pitch was awful'
Despite having to come from behind to draw, Thompson was clearly impressed with his side's performance but was less pleased with the playing surface in Istanbul. "It was a great atmosphere in the stadium and both teams played good football," he said. "I think both sets of supporters will have enjoyed the game but the pitch was awful. The last two games have been very similar and I think we should have won both."

Goalkeepers excel
Having played out a goalless draw in their first meeting at Anfield six days ago, it was clear that neither side had worked overtime on their finishing skills. A stack of chances went begging in a packed Ali Sami Yen stadium and a 4-4 result would have flattered neither side. Once again, it was the two goalkeepers who proved to be the heroes of the hour, with Faryd Mondragon and Chris Kirkland both excelling. Thompson paid tribute to the Galatasaray keeper, saying: "Just as he did in the first match, Mondragon played superbly tonight and kept them in the game."