FC Sion vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from Europa League Game
Liverpool clinched top spot in UEFA Europa League Group B with a drab scoreless draw against FC Sion on Thursday in Switzerland.
Both sides entered the match knowing a draw would take them to the knockout stage, and chances were scarce on a chilly night in the Alps.
With the draw, Liverpool finish the group stage with 10 points. Sion claimed second place with nine points.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Brad Smith
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Neither team created much attacking quality on this night, but one of the few bright spots came from Liverpool's left-back position. That's where Australian Brad Smith impressed in his first-ever start for the club.
Smith made an early statement of intent with a fourth-minute gallop down the left flank, fizzing in a dangerous cross toward Divock Origi. The striker was unable to turn the ball on goal, but the chance turned out to be one of the best of the match for either side.
Not that Smith did nothing else on the night. Besides defending well, the 21-year-old continued to push forward to dangerous effect on the left.
With his first start finally under his belt, Smith can now move past what was a turbulent offseason, which the Liverpool Echo described thusly:
"Just three weeks ago the 21-year-old defender didn’t even register on Klopp’s radar. The New South Wales-born youngster was still in limbo. Smith’s contract at Liverpool had expired back in June. The Reds’ offer of a new deal had been rejected on the basis that his representatives believed he would get more playing time and more cash elsewhere. However, Smith was never released by Liverpool.
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Liverpool must be glad they retained Smith's services. After playing well as a substitute against Southampton in the League Cup, the Australian ranked among his side's top performers again. If he can continue his run of form, Smith could find himself in manager Jurgen Klopp's plans more consistently.
Loser: Entertainment Value
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Sometimes a scoreless draw can have everything but goals. On occasion, a lack of goals can mean 90 minutes of excitement and tension.
This was not one of those games.
With both teams fully aware ahead of kick-off that a scoreless draw would be enough to send both through to the knockout phase, they played as if little was at stake.
Not surprisingly, their combined approach to the game produced few real chances of note. By full time, only the hardiest of souls had persevered through the boredom.
"Wouldn't say this game is going to line in the memory bank," tweeted Dominic King of the Daily Mail. "A contest bereft of quality and entertainment."
"This Liverpool game has now officially overtaken the Manchester derby as the worst game of the season," tweeted Bleacher Report contributor Matt Jones. "Really is very rubbish."
"Watched better games in the local park," added Anfield Index.
Winner: Liverpool Drawing in the Europa League
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The draw might not have been entertaining, but it secured top spot in Group B for Liverpool. From that perspective, it was a success.
“The first thing to do tonight was to show character and show that you’re prepared for a game like this," Klopp told the club's official website. "That’s what my team did, so I’m really satisfied. Nobody is injured and they were very focused and concentrated on the game, so everything is okay."
Curiously, draws have become the norm for Liverpool at this stage of the competition. As UEFA.com noted before kick-off, the Reds had drawn eight of their 17 Europa League group matches before this one (seven wins, two defeats).
This latest draw makes it nine in 18, or fully half. Looking back, maybe we all should have expected this result.
Loser: The Pitch
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Anyone attending the match or watching on television noticed immediately that field conditions were not ideal. A large swath of the pitch was frozen along the touchline, causing both teams to play tentatively along that side.
Throughout the game, both sets of players seemed unwilling to play the ball to the frozen area. And it's hard to blame them. Would you want to play a professional football match on a frozen surface?
"We saw the pitch and we knew what could happen on a pitch like this but as a manager you have to ignore it," Klopp said, per Liverpool's official Twitter account.
Winner: Sion
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This season marks the first time Sion have competed in the group stage of a major UEFA competition, per UEFA.com. To qualify for the knockout stage at the first attempt is thus an admirable accomplishment.
Placed in Group B with Liverpool, Rubin Kazan and Bordeaux, Sion seemed the odd team out at the time of the draw. But although few might have expected much from the Swiss side, Didier Tholot and his men are now through to the round of 32.
