Bradley Barcola got off the mark for Liverpool in spectacular fashion, scoring the first hat trick of his career in a thrilling 6-3 win at Austrian champions LASK Linz on Wednesday. Barcola, who arrived from European champions Paris Saint-Germain this summer in a deal worth a potential £123 million, had gone goalless in his first six appearances for Liverpool. He put that right emphatically, with the hat trick coming in his 206th senior appearance.
The 24-year-old scored with either foot in the first half to open his account for the club against opponents making their debut among Europe's elite. A far-post tap-in midway through the second half was the easiest of his three, but by then his confidence was soaring after he had missed a trio of chances in the win over Atlético Madrid last month.
Barcola grabbed the headlines, but there was also a first Liverpool goal for Ronald Araújo following his loan signing from Barcelona, while 21-year-old forward Lewis Koumas scored for the first time in the Champions League. Jeremie Frimpong added another, with Liverpool at one point holding a 6-1 lead. LASK made the scoreline more respectable late on through a double from Florian Flecker. The nine goals made it the highest-scoring European game for Liverpool since their 5-4 2001 UEFA Cup final win over Alavés.
Andoni Iraola's side, who bounced back from a 3-0 Premier League loss to Manchester City on Sunday, have begun the Champions League with back-to-back wins. Iraola dropped Virgil van Dijk to the substitutes' bench, with French defender Jérémy Jacquet starting.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing