Atletico slips by Liverpool to make Europa final

Soccer Betting Lines

04/29/2010 - Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Diego Forlan answered Yossi Benayoun's overtime goal, and Atletico Madrid advanced to the Europa League final despite a 2-1 loss to Liverpool on Thursday at Anfield.

Alberto Aquilani scored in regulation for Liverpool, which dropped the first leg 1-0 in Madrid, and Benayoun put the Reds in front five minutes into extra time.

Forlan, who scored in the first leg, responded in the 102nd minute to send his side into the first Europa League final against Fulham on away goals.

Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera scored in the second half at Craven Cottage, and Fulham rallied for a 2-1 win over Hamburg to advance to the final.

Atletico and Fulham meet May 15 in Hamburg, which hosts this season's final.

Benayoun opened the game with a chance inside 10 seconds but Atletico goalie David De Egea was able to turn the chance over the line for a corner kick. Liverpool wasted the ensuing corner, and two directly after that, as Atletico escaped the early pressure.

Atletico failed to create much offensively, and Raul Garcia managed Atletico's only shot on goal in the first half when he had a long-range blast in the 19th that Pepe Reina pushed around the left post.

Liverpool continued to search for the series equalizer and a nice build up put the ball to Dirk Kuyt in the middle of the area in the 26th, but he fired over the bar.

Daniel Agger appeared to open the scoring six minutes later when he directed a header past De Egea, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Liverpool scored before halftime when Benayoun sent a cross in from the right that just missed Kuyt on the near side of the area but found Aquilani, and he fired a twirling first-time effort inside the right post from 16 yards.

Neither side grabbed control of the second half, and the match moved into the final minutes of regular time level on aggregate.

Forlan failed to control a long pass with only Reina to beat in the 87th, and Madrid turned up the pressure late but couldn't get the winner in normal time.

Liverpool grabbed the lead five minutes into extra time when Gerrard lofted a short pass over Atletico's defense to Benayoun on the left side of the area, and he drove a first-time effort back to the right that went off the hands of De Egea and inside the post.

Jose Jurado drove a shot inches wide of the right post in the 102nd minute on Atletico's first real chance in extra time.

Less than a minute later, Antonio Reyes won the ball on the right and crossed to Forlan on the left side, where he hammered inside the left post past Reina to put Atletico back in control on away goals.

De Egea dove to cover up the ball in the area just before Kuyt could reach it minutes later, and Atletico held onto its edge through the first extra period.

Forlan set up Simao in the 112th, but he fired over to leave Liverpool hope in the closing minutes. Atletico denied Liverpool any good chances in the closing minutes, though, and held on to advance.

Hamburg, which fired coach Bruno Labbadia on Monday, took control of its match against Fulham in the 22nd minute on Mladen Petric's goal. He picked out the upper-left corner from 30 yards with a left-footed blast but the visitors were unable to hold on in the second half.

Following the 0-0 draw in the first leg in Hamburg, Fulham needed two goals to claim the series and Davies provided the first in the 69th. Davies found the bottom-right corner from six yards, leaving the series in doubt.

Gera delivered the second one in the 76th from just eight yards out and Fulham extended its home unbeaten streak in European play to 16 matches, and sealed a return trip to Hamburg - this time for the final.

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De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

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The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

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