Liverpool's summer signing Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick on Wednesday night as the English club beat LASK 6-3 in Linz, according to VG. The match was LASK's first home fixture in the Champions League, and the Austrian champions met a Liverpool side that controlled the game from the opening whistle.
Barcola, who joined from PSG in the summer in a deal VG values at around 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner, had yet to fully settle at Liverpool before this performance. He scored three of his team's six goals on the night.
Why it matters
The result leaves Liverpool with a maximum six points from their first two Champions League matches, while LASK are still searching for their first point in the competition.
For Barcola, the hat-trick answers some of the questions that followed his expensive move. VG notes that the French forward had not yet shown his best form for Liverpool since arriving from Paris. A three-goal night in Europe's top club competition is the kind of return that shifts the conversation.
The match also marked a piece of history for LASK, though not the kind the club would have wanted. Their first Champions League home game ended in defeat against a side that overwhelmed them for long stretches.
A first half of record pressure
Liverpool's dominance in the opening 45 minutes was extreme by any measure. VG reports that the visitors registered 19 shots before the break, a figure Opta says is the most ever recorded by an away team in a first half of a Champions League match.
Three of those attempts found the net. The first came from Ronald Araújo, another summer arrival, who is on loan from Barcelona. The defender headed in his first goal for Liverpool to open the scoring.
By half-time Liverpool had a comfortable cushion, and the pattern of the game was set. LASK struggled to keep possession and were repeatedly pushed back into their own half.
Second-half goals and a LASK response
After the interval Jeremie Frimpong added to Liverpool's lead. LASK then got on the board through Robert Ljubicic, whose goal was the club's first ever in the Champions League, reducing the deficit to 1-4.
Barcola completed his hat-trick shortly after, and 21-year-old Lewis Koumas, playing up front for Liverpool, scored his first Champions League goal. At that point Liverpool led by five.
LASK did not fold entirely. Florian Flecker scored twice to improve the scoreline for the home side, making the final result 6-3.
The Norwegian outlet Dagbladet reported that Liverpool were not fully satisfied with the performance despite the scoreline, while Nettavisen highlighted the displays of Barcola and Frimpong, two players who have faced criticism, as a bright spot in the goal-heavy match.
TV 2 noted that Liverpool gave several young players opportunities amid absences in the squad, with Koumas among those who took advantage.
What to watch next
Liverpool continue their Champions League campaign with momentum and a full points tally, while LASK will look to recover from a difficult introduction to home fixtures in the competition.
