Second-half goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool come from behind against LASK as the Reds won their opening Europa League group fixture.
Florian Flecker’s 14th-minute strike handed the hosts the lead after Jurgen Klopp opted to fully rotate his starting line-up. This helped the Austrians grow in confidence and keep the Reds’ best first-half opportunity – a Darwin Nunez header – from crossing the line.
Salah arrived from bench along with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. The trio helped to see out the match, and the Egyptian added a third for good measure.
At one stage the home support inside the Raiffessen Arena had belief they could muster an upset. Here is how the local media reacted to the eventual defeat:
National newspaper Kronen Zeitung wrote: “LASK challenged Liverpool FC in the ‘Game of the Year’ but was not rewarded for a courageous performance.
“Liverpool’s star coach Jürgen Klopp completely changed his team compared to Saturday’s league win against Wolverhampton and brought in 11 new players. The Linzers had decided to go into the game of the year with courage and carried it out with energetic duels. And even took the lead. Van Dijk was able to deflect a shot from Robert Zulj, and Sascha Horvath ideally delivered the resulting corner to Flecker, who shot from outside the penalty area and hit it perfectly into the far corner.
“Liverpool, in an unusual purple, dominated the game, but LASK knew how to keep the ball-savvy English team away from the danger zone. Liverpool deservedly got three points thanks to a clear improvement in the second half, but LASK could be satisfied with their performance against the top English club.”
National weekday newspaper Heute wrote: “LASK missed out on a sensation in the Europa League and had to admit defeat to Liverpool 3-1 after a quick lead. The Stahlstadters made things difficult for the top English club from the start and did not allow the ‘Reds’ team to get into the game. And they became increasingly dangerous themselves.
“In the 13th minute, Van Dijk blocked a shot from Linz captain Robert Zulj, and the resulting corner hit the Liverpool goal. Sascha Horvath played the corner to the edge of the penalty area, where Flecker took his measure and shot in for a sensational 1-0 lead.
“A goal that had an impact, as the Reds’ response was a long time coming despite a significant increase in ball possession. With the lead behind them, the Reds then acted more hardened, didn’t let anything go wrong and played the success against last season’s third-place team in the Bundesliga over time. The LASK fought against bankruptcy, but without success. The people of Linz were no longer able to cause danger. ‘Joker’ Salah made it 3-1 for the Reds with a gurker for Lawal in the 89th minute.”
National daily newspaper Osterreich wrote: “For 45 minutes everything seemed perfect. Because LASK led 1-0 at the break and sniffed out the sensation against Liverpool. The ‘Reds’ flourished in the second half and ‘thumped’ Linz 1-3 in the opening game of the Europa League.
“Instead of ‘This is Anfield’ yesterday it was ‘Des is die Gugi’. 18,000 fans created an unforgettable atmosphere in Linz’s new jewel box. And that despite star coach Jürgen Klopp sending the second suit onto the pitch. Corner for the Upper Austrians. And this corner had it all. After Horvath’s corner, the ball landed at Flecker. He prepared the ball and hit it into the net with a flourish. ‘One-keeper’ Alisson also looks stupid from the substitutes’ bench – that’s 1-0 for LASK!
“And then came the cold shower for the Upper Austrians. Linz’s lead was gone within six minutes. Flecker and Co. really noticed their disappointment. As if that wasn’t enough, the top star of the ‘Reds’ also came into play. As soon as he came on, the Egyptian immediately caused terror. But Luckender was exactly right and saved on the line. But then the time had come. Salah walked through the LASK defense and pushed Lawal through his legs. 3:1 – That’s it then!”
Linz’s daily local newspaper Oberösterreichische Nachrichten wrote: “17,098 fans in the Upper Austria Arena – that’s what LASK’s new gem is called in Europa League jargon – had sensed the sensation, but ultimately seven minutes were enough for the great Liverpool FC to turn the tables and win 3-1 at the start of the group phase.
“You don’t see matches like this one on the Gugl against the traditional 19-time English champions every day, nor do you see dream goals like the one from Florian Flecker in the 14th minute. Just seeing “LASK 1 – Liverpool 0” on the video wall, many eyewitnesses had to look twice to believe it. But it was like that.
“The dream of sensation was alive. At least temporarily. LASK tried everything again, but now Liverpool – now with Szoboszlai, MacAllister, Matip and Salah on the road (one thing is certain) – was untouchable. The final point was also reserved for Salah, who had walked around the Mühlviertel in a good mood in the morning. The 31-year-old fixed the final score at 1:3.”
