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Story highlights
Liverpool out of Champions League following draw with Basel
Swiss club records 1-1 draw at Anfield
Real Madrid makes it six wins out of six
Juventus qualifies for last-16 of competition
A decade and a day might have passed but the script was still the same.
If you listen to the soothsayers, the powers of Liverpool’s talisman are waning.
And yet, on a night where most of those in red went missing, Steven Gerrard refused to simply fade into the background.
Liverpool’s Champions League dream is over and perhaps, just perhaps, it is over for Gerrard too.
At 34 and without a new contract having been signed, this may just yet be Gerrard’s final act in this competition – the pinnacle of European football.
But if this is to be the end, then he at least went out in style, not that you’d imagine anything else of course.
Trailing 1-0 to Swiss side Basel and facing elimination, Gerrard roused Liverpool one final time with a quite magnificent free kick.
His curling effort flew over the wall and nestled in the top corner, a strike which will no doubt have the children in the local playgrounds attempting to replicate such a strike.
That moment rekindled the memories of yesteryear and Olympiakos in 2004 where Gerrard produced one of the most iconic moments of his career.
His 86th minute strike, one of the most ferocious ever unleashed by the midfielder, allowed Liverpool to progress to the last 16 after coming from behind to defeat the Greek side 3-1.
That goal was the beginning of Liverpool’s incredible run to the 2005 final where it defeated AC Milan on penalties after fighting back from 3-0 down at halftime.
On this occasion, such heroics were to prove beyond him – not that he should feel responsible.
Far too many of those around him went missing when the club needed it most – and when Lazar Markovic was sent off after 60 minutes, the task was always going to prove fiendishly difficult.
“I still knew after I scored that it was going to be difficult with 10 men and running out of time,” Gerrard told ITV.
“It gave us some hope and, as the manager said, the first half was not good enough and we had to go down fighting.
“I have not seen the sending off, but I have heard it was harsh. It made it harder because we could have made it hell for Basel in the final stages with 11 men.
“I don’t think we deserved better. We have not gone out because of this performance, we weren’t good enough away to Basel and we let in a silly goal away to Ludogorets.
“You qualify over six games and we have not been good enough.”
Liverpool’s highly anticipated return to the Champions League has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster.
One victory from six games, that a last minute triumph against Bulgarian minnow Ludogorets, is a rather sad indictment of the club’s campaign.
The reality is that since the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona and the injury to Daniel Sturridge, the club’s leading forward, Liverpool have struggled.
Where last season it could do little wrong, now those in red can do little right.
Gone is the pace which brought defenses to its knees, the invention, the effervescence, the enjoyment which was etched across the faces of those in red.
Where feet were once nimble and skipped, they are leaden and clumsy.
In the Premier League, Liverpool has won six and lost six of its 15 games and is already 15 points behind leader Chelsea.
Anfield on European nights is supposed to be one of the most enchanting football arenas in world football.
But on this occasion, there was and is nothing magical about this Liverpool side, bar perhaps the cloak of invisibility which seemed to be wrapped up around its tactics and game plan.
Basel, which defeated Liverpool in Switzerland earlier in the competition, deserved their place in the last 16 following an impressive first half performance.
Fabian Frei’s fine effort which flew past Simon Mignolet, the Liverpool keeper, ensured the visiting side took its advantage into the interval.
A second goal almost came after the break when Taulant Xhaka’s fierce drive flew just inches wide of the far post with Mignolet a mere spectator.
Liverpool, having made two changes at the start of the second half, had hoped for maximum impact from its substitutes.
Instead, what it got was stupidity and petulance.
Markovic had only been on the field of play for 15 minutes but when he flicked his hand out towards Behrang Safari, he was immediately shown the red card.
While Safari’s reaction was laughable, Markovic had no defense – it was a pathetic end to what had been an impressive 15 minute cameo.
From there on Liverpool was fighting an uphill battle.
And yet, as as so often been the case, one man rose to the challenge as he has done on countless occasions throughout the years.
Once again, with his side laying on the canvas, he dragged his teammates to their feet with an outstanding strike.
Just nine minutes of normal time remained when Liverpool was awarded a free kick some 20-yards from goal.
Gerrard stood over the ball and with most of those inside Anfield holding their breath, Gerrard calmly sent the most delectable of efforts sailing over the wall and into the top corner.
Then came the roar, the clenching of fists and the injection of belief which had been so sorely lacking.
Suddenly there was a confidence about Liverpool as it laid siege to the Basel goal in a frantic finale.
Those in the Kop end tried to suck the ball into the net as the red shirts moved forward at every opportunity.
Jordan Henderson’s header was saved on the line, Martin Skrtel poked wide. Gerrard roared his players forward but to no avail. The game was up.
“We have to fight going forward to be in this competition next season,” Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, told ITV.
“We are not too far off the top four and, if we get there, we will be better in it next season.
“The possibility of January signings is something to discuss with the owners, but there was a big investment in the summer.
“We have been unlucky with injuries to key players who are important to the way that we play, but that is to take nothing away from the players tonight who have put everything into the game.”
Elsewhere, Real Madrid recorded a club record 19th consecutive victory by defeating Bulgarian minnow Ludogorets 4-0.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were both on target for the Spanish club which progresses to the next round as the group winner.
Also through to the next stage is Spanish champion Atletico Madrid which drew 0-0 with Juventus, which qualifies second in Group A.
Borussia Dortmund topped Group D despite a 1-1 draw with Anderlecht, while Arsenal finished second after thrashing Galatasaray 4-1 in Istanbul.
In Group C, Monaco defeated Zenit Saint Petersburg 2-0 to claim top spot, one point ahead of Bayer Leverkusen which finished second after a goalless draw away at Benfica.
