Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick, his first goals for Liverpool, as the visitors beat LASK 6-3 in Linz in the Champions League. Liverpool led 3-0 at half-time and 5-1 after 66 minutes, then conceded twice more in quick succession before securing a second win in two league-phase games.
Linz, Austria: Liverpool arrived at the Raiffeisen Arena with a young forward who had yet to score for the club. They left with a nine-goal thriller and a hat-trick from Bradley Barcola.
Araújo opens, Barcola arrives
The breakthrough came from a set piece. Kostas Tsimikas swung in a corner in the 22nd minute and Ronald Araújo headed it home for his first goal for Liverpool. Barcola struck two minutes later for his first Liverpool goal since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. He had gone six appearances without a goal or an assist.
The second came in the 37th minute. Florian Wirtz threaded a pass through the LASK defence and Barcola finished it. Liverpool led 3-0 at the break, and the contest was effectively settled.
A hat-trick and a Koumas first
Jeremie Frimpong made it four in the 51st minute, heading in a Tsimikas cross that bounced in off the post. LASK pulled one back through Robert Ljubičić in the 63rd minute, but Barcola answered within three minutes. He tapped in from close range in the 66th minute to complete his hat-trick and make it 5-1.
Lewis Koumas then added a sixth. The young forward scored from close range in the 72nd minute for his first Champions League goal, after two earlier efforts had been ruled out for offside.
A late scare for Iraola
The closing stages were far less comfortable for Liverpool. Florian Flecker scored twice in quick succession for LASK to turn a 6-1 rout into a 6-3 final score, and Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez had both come on in the second half by then. Head coach Andoni Iraola praised Barcola’s overall performance and Wirtz’s display, but acknowledged his side’s defending had not held up at the end of the match.
The result followed a difficult weekend for Liverpool, who were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City at Anfield, a game in which Ryan Gravenberch was sent off. Two matches into the league phase, they have won both, having also beaten Atlético Madrid 2-1 at Anfield on matchday one.
Result: LASK 3, Liverpool 6 (half-time 0-3), UEFA Champions League league phase, matchday 2, Raiffeisen Arena, Linz.
Liverpool scorers: Araújo (22′), Barcola (24′, 37′, 66′), Frimpong (51′), Koumas (72′).
LASK scorers: Ljubičić (63′), Flecker (2).
