werder 2-3 Liverpool

18:17 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : Werder get the game under way
2 mins : Pennant wins free kick after run down right
2 mins : Gerrard free kick nodded back by Crouch to Hobbs who skies from close range
3 mins : GOAL! Andriy Voronin: Voronin uses pace to punish slapdash defending before rounding keeper and tucking the ball away
5 mins : El Zhar loses possession on edge of Werder box after good work from Crouch and Voronin
6 mins : GOAL! Kevin Schindler: Schindler tucks home after Paletta loses his man
7 mins : Crouch fires wide from 20 yards
9 mins : Pennant gives away free-kick midway in Reds half
9 mins : Gerrard charges down free kick
11 mins : Hobbs scuffs shot from 20 yards after El Zhar knock down
12 mins : Lively Pennant wins free kick in promising position
13 mins : GOAL! John Arne Riise: Riise rockets ball into roof of the net from 30 yards after Pennant lay off from free kick
20 mins : Voronin, Gerrard, El Zhar and Pennant combine well but move breaks down on edge of the box
21 mins : Carlos Albertos spoons shot from 25 yards
25 mins : Voronin shoots wide from distance after terrific link up play with El Zhar and Crouch
26 mins : Andreasen shot is well held by Carson
30 mins : Pennant and Gerrard combine but no one is there to meet the skipper's backheel in the box
31 mins : Reds knocking the ball around nicely
32 mins : El Zhar and Pennant switch flanks
35 mins : Gerrard storms through the middle before threading a fine ball to Voronin - but the Ukrainian is offside
36 mins : Tidy play by El Zhar in Werder half but pass lets him down
39 mins : Brilliant approach play by Carlos Alberto to sidestep both Gerrard and Carson - but he spoons it from eight yards
41 mins : Inviting cross by Riise down the left but Crouch just can't reach it
43 mins : Riise pings whopper of a ball 70 yards to turn defence into attack but Voronin runs out of ideas
44 mins : Pennant gets round of applause for keeping ball in play before pulling out a few tricks
19:04 GMT : Half Time Reached
46 mins : Substitution: Jamie Carragher for Sami Hyypia:
46 mins : Substitution: Daniel Agger for Gabriel Paletta:
46 mins : Substitution: Dirk Kuyt for Peter Crouch:
46 mins : Substitution: Momo Sissoko for Steven Gerrard MBE:
46 mins : Substitution: Xabi Alonso for Jack Hobbs:
19:18 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Substitution: Yossi Benayoun for Jermaine Pennant:
46 mins : Reds get second half under way
47 mins : Voronin shoots over after good footwork inside the box
46 mins : Substitution: Alvaro Arbeloa for John Arne Riise:
46 mins : Substitution: Stephen Darby for Steve Finnan:
48 mins : Brilliant vision by Benayoun to find Kuyt in the box. The Dutchman nets but not before the linesman raises his flag
46 mins : Substitution: Pierre Wome for Clemens Fritz:
53 mins : First Booking: Jamie Carragher: Carragher booked for late challenge in Reds half
46 mins : Substitution: Jurica Vranjes for Markus Rosenberg:
46 mins : Substitution: Hugo Almelda for Torsten Frings:
46 mins : Substitution: Daniel Jensen for Tim Borowski:
56 mins : Voronin beats two men but can't find a ball through
57 mins : Torres and Babel start to warm up
58 mins : Substitution: Amaury Bischoff for Carlos Alberto:
60 mins : Ace pass from Alonso puts Benayoun clean through but the Israeli unselfishly lays it off for Kuyt who forces fine save from Wiese from 10 yards
60 mins : GOAL! Andriy Voronin: Ukrainian bags his second with fine lob over keeper after Alonso throughball
63 mins : Substitution: Fernando Torres for Andriy Voronin: Torres makes Reds debut
65 mins : Torres wins free kick on edge of Werder box - but Alonso hits a tame effort straight at the keeper
73 mins : Substitution: Ryan Babel for Nabil El Zhar: Babel makes his Reds debut
73 mins : Werder think they've scored after Carra mistake but ref disallows it minutes later after lengthy talks with fourth official
76 mins : Carson nearly caught off guard as long Werder punt takes wicked deflection. He manages to put it out for corner, which comes to nothing
77 mins : Torres shows great skill to get through Werder defence before squaring for Babel - unfortunately a German is back to intercept
80 mins : Substitution: Frank Loning for Kevin Schindler:
82 mins : Alonso seemingly has the ball on a piece of string
84 mins : Own Goal! Stephen Darby: Darby knocks ball into own net after dangerous cross
87 mins : Brilliant turn by Kuyt before finding Torres who links up well with Benayoun. Unfortunatley the move then chokes
88 mins : Torres misses two glorious chances to mark his debut with a goal
90 mins : Remarkable skill from Babel to beat three men but his shot is too easy for the keeper
20:05 GMT : Match Over

TORRES IN LINE FOR DEBUT

Fernando Torres is expected to make his Liverpool debut tonight when Rafael Benítez's side face the German club Werder Bremen in Switzerland.

The club-record £26m signing has been receiving treatment for a slight ankle problem but Benítez is set to include him in the first of two friendly matches during Liverpool's week-long training camp.

"He had a problem with his ankle in the last two weeks he was playing with Atlético Madrid," said the manager. "But he's been training with the physio over the last two weeks and I think will be available to play in Switzerland."

Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun, who cost a combined fee of £16.5m from Ajax and West Ham United respectively, are also likely to make their first appearances during the trip, which concludes on Friday with a game against Auxerre.

Liverpool have announced a shake-up of their backroom staff, with Xavi Valero succeeding José Ochotorena as goalkeeping coach. Ochotorena has returned to Spain to work at Valencia. Valero began his professional career as a goalkeeper with Castellón in 1992 and played for a number of Spanish clubs before spending a short time at the end of his playing career with Wrexham, where he put into practice the English he had studied at university.

BABEL PASSES MEDICAL AND SIGNS TODAY

RYAN BABEL will today become the third most expensive player in Liverpool’s history by completing an £11.5million move from Ajax.

And Rafael Benitez’s summer rebuilding plans took another step forward last night when Yossi Benayoun signed from West Ham United on a four-year deal.

Babel has passed a medical and will put pen to paper on a five-year deal after the two sides finally reached an agree-ment over a fee for the 20-year-old.

A Liverpool spokesperson said: “Liverpool have agreed terms with Ajax and Ryan Babel himself and the player will sign a five-year-deal on Friday.”

Highly-rated Babel, who can play on the wing and up front, has scored four goals in 14 appearances for the full Holland national team and starred for his country in their recent European Under-21 Championship success on home soil.

Babel said of joining Liverpool: “I listened to what they had to say and I got a great feeling about the club. I have made a choice with my heart. The coach has big plans for me.”

Babel, speaking in Amsterdam last night, added: “I am at Ajax to say goodbye to everyone, and I must say that’s quite difficult. I think I will miss the fans, the ones that have always supported me, the guys (Ajax team-mates) of course and the coach.

“I certainly leave Ajax with pain in my heart.”

Liverpool have fought off interest from a number of leading clubs including Arsenal for the player, with Benitez having trained his sights on Babel after losing out to Chelsea for the signature of Lyon’s Florent Malouda.

Babel will be unveiled at Melwood today along with Benayoun, who has joined in a deal understood to be worth around £5m.

The 27-year-old midfielder has signed a contract that will keep him at Anfield until 2011, and becomes the third Israeli on Liverpool’s books following Avi Cohen and Ronnie Rosenthal.

Meanwhile, Southampton have taken Liverpool winger Adam Hammill on a season-long loan.

The England U19 player, who had a spell at Dunfermline last season, had also been a target for Scottish Premier League giants Celtic.

Southampton manager George Burley said: “He is a young player who did very well on loan at Dunfermline last season.

“He can play right or left and is a quick player who takes people on, he has bags of potential and I am very pleased to have got him because there was a lot of interest from other clubs.

“Adam is coming to a club with good facilities and good, young players and this is another step for him in his career.”

LIVERPOOL CLOSE ON HEINZE

Gabriel Heinze could become the first player to move between Manchester United and Liverpool in over 40 years.

Heinze is available for around £5million, although United are keen to offload the Argentine to Real Madrid rather than a domestic rival.

But Heinze is keen to remain in the Premier League and is keen on a switch to Anfield, according to the Daily Mail.

And the left-back could even scupper any resistance from United by buying out the last two years of his United contract for £4.5million, a fee he would recoup in a signing-on fee from Liverpool.

If Heinze does make the move, he'll become the first player since Phil Chisnall in 1964 to swap Old Trafford for Anfield.

Torres Expected In Liverpool Today

Fernando Torres has already cut short his vacation and returned to Madrid, and is expected in Liverpool today...


After a €32m plus Luis Garcia deal was sealed between the to clubs, the Spanish international needs only to complete a medical at Anfield before penning what will be a rather lucrative €135,000 a week deal.

While it is possible that the medical actually takes place tomorrow morning before the official presentation, the deal will be confirmed today itself.

That will bring to an end a saga that has run for around ten days, ever since Goal.com had exclusively confirmed that Liverpool officials had travelled to Madrid to discuss a move for Fernando Torres.

It has taken a while for the financial details to be sorted out, but all parties seem to be happy now.

Torres will take the number of strikers at Rafa Benitez's disposal up to five, with Peter Crouch, Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and Andriy Voronin already on the Reds' books. That, assuming they offload Djibril Cisse, who is also a Liverpool player as of now.

It is unclear whether one more striker will be allowed to leave. Surely Rafa cannot keep five front men happy!