New boys make debuts as Voronin double gives Liverpool win in Switzerland

Jul 18 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

Fernando Torres, made his club debut against Werder Bremen in Grenchen, Switzerland, - Picture: MARTIN BIRCHALL _158

FERNANDO TORRES made his Liverpool debut as Rafael Benitez’s side claimed a 3-2 friendly win over Werder Bremen in Switzerland last night.

The club record £18million signing from Atletico Madrid made a 26-minute substitute appearance during the second half.

Recent arrivals Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel also made their first appearances in a Liverpool shirt after the break at the Stadium Bruehl in Grenchen as the Anfield outfit continued their pre-season preparations with a third successive win.

A brace from Andriy Voronin – his first goals for the club – and a John Arne Riise thunderbolt guided Liverpool to victory over the Bundesliga outfit.

And Liverpool manager Benitez said: “I was pleased to see Torres, Babel and Benayoun out on the pitch and it was important for these players to get a game.

“They have only just started training with us but they looked sharp.”

Benitez added: “You can see the different options we have now in attack and it’s good for the team.

“It was good for the supporters to see us attacking and playing some good football.

“Fernando could even have scored and came very, very close, but maybe it will happen for him next time.

“It was always our idea to give the three players a run at the end of the game. They haven’t been with the team long.”

Benitez praised the contribution on Voronin, whose free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen has been overshadowed by the recent signings.

“We knew that Bremen would play high and that helped Andriy,” said the Spaniard.

“Andriy was very clever for the first goal and he could have scored again before his second one.”

Benitez added: “It was a good game with plenty of goals. It was good for the supporters although as a manager you don’t like to see your team conceding goals, but you always want to win.

“We needed to work hard and it was a good workout for us. We trained in the morning so it was always our idea to change the players around for the second half.”