LIVERPOOL, England — As soon as he hit the pass, Xabi Alonso stopped dead in his tracks, and raised his hands to his head in horror.

He had picked up possession on the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area, directly in front of the Kop. He was under no pressure. He turned elegantly toward his goal, ready to build yet another attack.

He has done it thousands of times over the years, and this time, too, he looked a picture of calm — right up until he played the ball directly into the path of a slightly startled opposition striker. Liverpool, a few minutes before, had been three goals ahead. Now, thanks to Alonso’s momentary mindlessness, it was 4-3 down. Alonso looked at the floor. He raised a plaintive hand to his teammates and to Anfield, packed to the rafters, in apology; he shook his head, as if to clear the cobwebs.

And then the crowd laughed.

The mistake did not matter, and nor did the score. It was, after all, only a game between a team of retired Liverpool players against a collection of Bayern Munich veterans, staged to raise money for Liverpool’s charitable foundation. Beyond a little pride, there was nothing riding on it.