Liverpool bounced back from their weekend defeat against Manchester City with a commanding performance in Austria, dismantling Lask 6-3 in a Champions League encounter defined by attacking flair. Bradley Barcola served as the catalyst for the win, netting the first hat-trick of his professional career and finally opening his tally for his new club. Despite the emphatic victory, Liverpool’s manager Andoni Iraola faced a surprising challenge as the hosts managed to find the back of the net three times throughout the contest. Liverpool cleansed themselves from the stains of defeat by Manchester City at the earliest opportunity. It will do their confidence good for sure.”. The home end was full and in strong voice over an hour before kick-off as Lask supporters came to savour their club’s first home game in the Champions League proper. In fairness to the Austrian crowd, their support rarely wavered even as a rout unfolded before their eyes, the Lask team proved to be much less impressive though. Liverpool revelled in their superiority and the invitation to recover from Sunday’s first defeat of the season. Liverpool were utterly dominant against an opponent that struggled to retain possession in all areas of the pitch.
The visiting side’s dominance was underscored by a massive statistical output, as they equalled a club record for an away match in the Champions League by registering 26 shots. Liverpool’s offensive intensity was evident early on; their 19 attempts during the first half set a record for an away team in the competition since tracking began in 2003-04. Iraola opted to manage his squad ahead of an upcoming Premier League trip to Brentford, resting captain Virgil van Dijk—thereby delaying his 200th appearance with the armband—and midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. Their places in the backline were filled by Ronald Araújo and Jérémy Jacquet. A new-look central defence of Ronald Araújo and Jérémy Jacquet were given a physical test by the Lask strikers Samuel Adeniran and Krystof Danek but handled the host’s rudimental approach comfortably.
The scoring opened after a defensive lapse between Lask’s Alemão and goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth led to a corner, which Araújo headed home for his first goal for the club. Merely 96 seconds later, Barcola doubled the advantage with a precise finish following setup work by Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Koumas. The £123m signing from Paris Saint-Germain, who had struggled to register a goal or assist in his opening six appearances, later extended the lead to 3-0 by converting a pass from Florian Wirtz.
Reflecting on the impact of his marquee signings, Iraola said, “I’m really happy for Bradley. Yesterday you were asking me a lot about his numbers, and also Flo [Wirtz], and both of them played really well.” The manager noted that beyond the goals, Barcola provided a consistent one-on-one threat that helped the team control the tempo. Koumas also etched his name into the record books, becoming the youngest player in Liverpool’s history to both score and assist in a Champions League fixture. Iraola’s pre-match faith in the big-money signings Barcola and Florian Wirtz was repaid as the pair helped dismantle limited opponents.
After the interval, the momentum remained with the visitors. Jeremie Frimpong converted a header from a Kostas Tsimikas cross to make it 4-0. While Lask substitute Robert Ljubicic clawed one back, Barcola completed his hat-trick at the back post following a low delivery from Frimpong. Koumas later added a goal from close range after the Austrian side faltered while playing out from the back. Although Lask substitute Florian Flecker managed two late goals in quick succession, the outcome of the match was never in doubt, marking a successful European night for Iraola’s squad.
