Rafa Benitez’s time at Liverpool will be remembered for that 2005 run, but he experienced heartbreak in Europe too.
The Spaniard was at the helm at Anfield for six seasons, the highlight of which was obviously that Champions League final in Istanbul, which wrote him into the Liverpool history books.
There were seasons, though, where he came close to more silverware on the continent, like losing the Europa League semi-final to Atletico Madrid in 2010.
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When recalling that match, Benitez singled out the goalscorer who almost got Liverpool through.
Rafa Benitez thought highly of Yossi Benayoun
He was never a superstar at Liverpool, but Benitez was a fan of Yossi Benayoun.
Arriving at Anfield under controversial circumstances after breaking a verbal agreement with West Ham, Benayoun was never much more than a squad player but a very good one.
He scored 29 goals in 134 appearances for the Reds.
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Speaking to UEFA about that fateful semi-final, Benitez as shown a clip of Benayoun scoring a goal.
He said: “To be honest, Yossi was a very special player because he was very good coming off the bench.”
He did score some vital goals for Liverpool, none at higher stakes than the one against Atletico. Unfortunately, Diego Forlan erased his impact and sent the Spanish side through to the final.
Liverpool’s loss to Atletico Madrid still frustrates Rafa Benitez
That semi-final was really the decider of the 2012 Europa League.
The winner would face Athletic Club in the final — the Madrid outfit won 3-0.
Analysing what went wrong in the decisive moment, Benitez said: “We made a mistake in that game, and hey took advantage of a throw-in that was a major mistake on our part.
“It feels like it slipped through our fingers because it was there for us.”
It did indeed slip through their fingers. Winning that game could have seen Benitez go on to cement his legacy with a second European trophy.
Alas, it wasn’t to be.
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