Last night, it was the turn of captain Virgil van Dijk to send the Liverpool fans from despair to ecstasy, in a moment of sheer magic. Mo Salah, Domnik Szoboszlai, and Rio Ngumoha had done the same in consecutive previous matches this season. These last-gasp winners are turning into a habit, it seems, but a dangerous one at that.
Anfield was the venue for Liverpool’s first contest of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 season against Atletico Madrid, one of Spain’s most fancied clubs. The hosts were the favourites to go through, but the Spanish visitors were no pushovers, and the Reds had a tough realisation.
The beginning, however, was brilliant for Liverpool. A Salah free-kick deflected from Andy Robertson and beat Jan Oblak to put Liverpool on board in the 4th minute. 2 minutes later, Mo Salah produced a bit of his own magic, moving through a couple of defenders with the ball stuck to his feet and then scored with his trademark finish.
Liverpool had taken a 2-0 lead very early, and now the onus was on Atletico Madrid to make a match of it. Marcos Llevante rose to the occasion. He reduced the deficit by half at the stroke of half-time and then struck a magnificent shot in the 81st minute to get Athletico on level terms. It was nothing short of an audaciously brilliant piece of play. Diego Simeone, Atletico’s long-time Manager, was up and running.
In the interim, Liverpool did have a couple of good chances to put the game to rest, but the chances went abegging. Salah hit one straight to the post, which was the closest and could have buried the match. However, Virgil van Dijk was destined to steal the show.
In the 2nd minute of the stoppage time, Szoboszlai took the corner, the ball sailed into the box, and van Dijk, with a perfect header, stole the match for Liverpool. A crazy ending, once again, to a match featuring Liverpool. Anfield rose in utter joy as Arne Slot hugged his team in a rush of emotions.
Liverpool thus made a winning start to their Champions League campaign. Alexander Isak, a £125m buy, made his much-awaited but uneventful debut appearance for Liverpool.
Diego Simeone got into an ugly spat with Liverpool fans and was red-carded by the referee, which was big news at the end of the match.
When Liverpool play, entertainment is guaranteed with last-minute dramas.
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