Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the NextGen Series knockout stage have suffered a blow following a 2-0 defeat in Wolfsburg on Wednesday night.
Rodolfo Borrell's youngsters had gone into the contest expecting a tough encounter, but they dominated the first period and should have gone ahead when both Toni Silva and Suso missed good chances.
Raheem Sterling then had three one-on-one situations with the Wolfsburg goalkeeper but failed to find the net on each occasion.
The hosts had illustrated the quality they had at their disposal in last week's 1-1 draw at Anfield and they made the Reds pay for their profligacy within two minutes of the restart.
Andax Guleryuz sized up a free-kick 25 yards from goal before crashing home a superb strike that gave stopper Tyrell Belford no chance.
It was harsh on the visitors, particularly given their first-half pressure, but it got even worse just moments later when the German outfit doubled their advantage with a well-worked move.
Giovanni Millemaci raced down the left, cut inside and unleashed a fine shot that fizzed into the corner.
Liverpool pushed to force their way back into the contest but once again their finishing was lacking.
Sterling hit the crossbar while Adam Morgan and Silva both went close as Wolfsburg rode their luck to claim a somewhat fortuitous triumph.
Liverpool U19s/Reserves: Belford, McLaughlin, Sama, Wisdom, Smith, Coady, Roddan, Sterling, Suso, Silva, Ngoo.
Author: Paul Hassall
