Joe Cole and Lille Crash Out of UEFA Champions League, Playmaker’s European Season Is Over

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Dec 8, 2011

Joe Cole and Lille Crash Out of UEFA Champions League, Playmaker's European Season Is OverJoe Cole's European season has come to an end. The on-loan Liverpool midfielder played in Lille's scoreless draw against Turkish club Trabzonspor that saw it finish at the bottom of it's UEFA Champions League group.

Cole played 68 minutes in Wednesday's game but could not crack Trabzonspor's bunkered defense. Lille needed a win to advance to the knockout stage of Europe's premier club competition. The draw, combined with CSKA Moscow's win over Inter Milan, caused Lille to finish last in group B and miss out on entry into the UEFA Europa League.

"It was a loss for the whole club, and obviously I have my share of responsibility for that," Lille manager Rudi Garcia said after the game.

"But if we weren't able to beat Trabzonspor in front of our own fans, then it wouldn't make sense for us to be one of the last 16 clubs in the competition. We're super-motivated to return to the Champions League next season and we know that this will only happen if we bounce back straight away, starting on Sunday with the visit of Dijon [in Ligue 1]."

Cole's chances of making a positive impression on England manager Fabio Capello and winning a spot on its Euro 2012 squad are much slimmer with Lille is out of Europe. It would take a string of dominant performances in Ligue 1 in the winter and spring for Cole to receive his first call-up to the national team in over a year.

He is now limited to domestic competition until next summer. Lille is currently in third place in Ligue 1 as it seeks to repeat as French champions. The England international has flourished since moving to French soccer. He has 19 appearances, scoring three goals and five assists in all competitions.

The 30-year-old has quickly adapted to life in France and a different style of soccer than what he was accustomed to. Both Cole and Lille have expressed interest in extending his stay beyond the end of the season, but no concrete offers have been made to Liverpool, who own his rights.

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