Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez declared himself happy after the first leg of his teams 1200 mile road and rail journey to Madrid for their Europa League semi-final clash with Spanish giants Athletico. "We always knew it was going to be a tough ride for us. It's never easy travelling away to a Spanish side but we just stuck in there are rode it out. We're pleased to have got this far but we aren't going to get carried away. It's only half time and the players know we have to do it all over again on the return journey".
The trip was all the more successful given the absence of star striker Fernando Torres who missed the tie due to injury and normally runs the card school.