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Thompson salutes team spirit

With so much at stake, it was hardly surprising that the Group B match between AS Roma and Liverpool FC failed to live up to expectations.

With so much at stake, it was hardly surprising that the match between AS Roma and Liverpool FC at the Olimpico stadium failed to live up to expectations. The two teams, both in need of a UEFA Champions League win, cancelled each other out and can claim to have dominated one half each.

'Dominated the game'
Liverpool, on the back of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Group B rivals FC Barcelona on Matchday Seven, started brightly and gave acting manager Phil Thompson plenty to smile about at full time. "I thought the boys were fantastic," he said. "We were magnificent in the first half and took the game to them. I thought we could have been one or two goals ahead at half-time. We came to win the game and dominated the game. We had a difficult game against Barcelona last time but the lads have given a brilliant account of themselves."

'Fantastic football'
Roma stepped their performance up a gear in the second period, forcing the visitors on to the back foot for long periods. The influential Francesco Totti, a captain who truly leads by example, ran the show during the closing stages and was at the heart of many of their best moments. Argentinian striker Gabriel Batistuta ploughed a lone furrow during the first half and was largely ineffectual, a fact that surprised Thompson. "They surprised us by only playing Batistuta up front and ten players behind the ball. It made it difficult for us to get through but we played some fantastic football."

Withdrawn role
Totti was happy to play in a more withdrawn role, as coach Fabio Capello's side looked to avoid defeat and was quick to back Batistuta. "I played a bit further back as Capello had wanted," Totti said. "This was to allow Gabriel to have a few more chance, but unfortunately he missed some. He is a great player and will be back to his best soon."

'Played with determination'
Capello admitted that he was happy that his game plan had succeeded, despite the blank scoreline. "We played with determination and didn't give our rivals a chance," he said. "Liverpool waited for us to attack and wanted us to tire. Batistuta is a great player and all my players played well tonight. We suffered a little during the match but Liverpool are a great team, as are all the teams in our group. I hope things will flower in the spring for us."

Philosophical mood
Liverpool defender Sami Hyypiä who, along with defensive partner Stéphane Henchoz, kept Wednesday's hosts at bay, was in philosophical mood after the match. He and his team-mates had achieved their first mission, to avoid another defeat, but they failed to show the same attacking desire in the second half and were forced to defend.

'Clean sheet'
"I am pleased with the result but I wasn't happy with the way we played in the second half," said Hyypiä. "They forced us to defend but I am happy that we kept a clean sheet tonight. We played some good football and have a lot of quality in the squad but something happened in the second period and we didn't play when we got the ball."

'Watch us go'
Of the 22 players who started the match, only three were not full internationals: Roma's Francesco Antonioli, Francisco Lima and Jonathan Zébina. The quality of players on show was undeniable but the quality of play left a little to be desired. The clubs now have a break until February 2002, plenty of time for them to reassess and ready themselves for more European action. Thompson was in confident mood ahead of Matchday Nine, adding: "We are still well in contention and we're back in action in a couple of months...then watch us go."

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