U19s stun Basel late to grab qualification

Ryan Kent smashed home a glorious deadlock-breaker seven minutes before the interval at Langtree Park in St Helens, laying the foundations for the win by two clear goals that the young Reds needed.

Chances proved harder to come by in the second period, but Neil Critchley's team were relentless and dramatically registered late on through Daniel Cleary and Jerome Sinclair to join Real Madrid in progressing from Group B.

The intriguing scenario that the group's permutations had created meant the young Reds were faced with a challenge in exactly how to approach the tie, and not least because the visitors posed a genuine threat on the counter-attack.

On 11 minutes, Sheyi Ojo was appealing for a penalty that would have provided a perfect opportunity to open the scoring when he fell to the turf inside the area, but the referee rejected his claim and instead produced a yellow card for the forward.

Easing into the contest, the Swiss outfit soon had back-to-back chances to strike. Charles Pickel nodded off target at the near post from a corner, while Albian Ajeti dispatched an effort wide when he raced inside the left channel with room to shoot.

Goalline technology was not available to provide a definitive answer, though it seemed that a close-range attempt by Pedro Chirivella - having been teed up by a Sinclair cross from the left - was successfully cleared off the goalline.

Ryan Fulton thwarted another Ajeti blast and it proved pivotal, for with 38 minutes on the clock Kent grabbed proceedings in his own hands. His pace took him searing beyond the Basel defence and allowed a thunderous, low conversion into the bottom corner for 1-0.

But Liverpool required at least one more when the action resumed for the second half. Ojo curled straight into the goalkeeper's hands after the restart, before Cleary powered a promising headed chance too high from a corner.

The away team's potential to retaliate was in evidence again around the hour mark, when Nicolas Hunziker found himself free in behind the Reds' backline. However, the No.11 snatched at the eventual effort and the ball sailed over the crossbar.

Ajeti should have hugely damaged the hosts' aspirations when he was once more served with freedom on goal, but Fulton was the difference, expertly spreading his body to block the striker's punt towards the target.

A head injury to Sam Hart forced an extended pause in the game and therefore generated a significant amount of stoppage time, thereby adding to the tension as the clash reached a decisive crescendo.

And the battling youngsters earned passage to the next phase when substitute Adam Phillips launched an incisive cross into the Basel box, where Cleary was handily positioned to force in the all-important second.

Pickel was dismissed for a second booking and there was still time for Liverpool to strike a third. Stationed on the right flank, Sergi Canos whipped in an accurate cross for Sinclair to direct a header into the back of the net and seal a triumphant afternoon.

U19s team: Fulton, Whelan, Hart (Brewitt), Cleary, Maguire, Rossiter (Alexander), Canos, Chirivella (Phillips), Sinclair, Kent, Ojo. Unused substitutes: Firth, O'Hanlon, Ejaria, Marsh.