Andy Hunter's match report
Some Klopp quotes …
Chelsea join Liverpool in the last 16 …
But Ajax and Inter crash out …
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Jürgen Klopp speaks
“I couldn’t have more respect for what Salzburg did tonight. What a team and what a game. It was really tough. They did so many smart things ... it was really good ... But we had really big chances. They did a lot of things but we were ready to defend it. It was a just a very intense game. Then we scored two wonderful goals, and we could have scored six or seven ... We had to put a shift in. But when we had the ball, we had to play calm and then we were immediately in front of their goal and missed sitters, pretty much.” On Salah, he says “I have no clue how he scored,” and adds that nor does he have a clue how he missed some of the fist-half chances. “It looked like it’s not his night so to stay on track and then score like that is great.”
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Andy Robertson: “We knew chances would keep coming and if we could be more clinical, we could [win]. Mo had a couple of great chances. We were jut saying to him ‘the next, the next one, the next one’ ... and then he scored a ridiculous goal.
“People say we’ve maybe struggled through [to the knockout phases] but we got four points more than we did last year.”
Sadio Mané (formerly of RB Salzburg]: “It’s always nice to come back because it’s where everything started for me. I’m grateful to everyone. Sorry, guys, but this is football.
Full-time: Salzburg 0-2 Liverpool
The European champions are safely into this season’s knockout stages as group winners. This was highly impressive performance against a dangerous team. Nady Keïta and Mohamed Salah scored beautiful goals, and Liverpool could have had several more, though they also needed Alisson and Van Dijk to be in top form.
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90+1 min: Wijnaldum intercepts a pass on half-way and then launches into a raid down the left. Once he reaches the box he feeds Salah, who takes a touch and then drags his shot wide. His finishing has been mostly diabolical today ... which makes that goal he scored even more outrageous.
89 min: Liverpool miss another chance to make it 3-0, Mané skying his shot from 10 yards after Salah got out of the way of Henderson’s pass to avoid being penalised for offside.
Liverpool substitution: Origi on, Keïta off.
85 min: Another Liverpool wave crashes in on the Salzburg box. If Robertson’s pass to Mané had not been slightly overhit at the end, it would probably have been 3-0.
82 min: Henderson pops the ball over the top for Mané to chase. He and Salah then takes turns setting each other up for shots. Salzburg scramble back in numbers to avoid conceding a third. But Liverpool have shown them who’s boss in this half.
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80 min: Liverpool pressurise Onguéné into conceding a corner. Alexander-Arnold pegs it low to Keita in front of the near post. He lays it back for Salah, who wraps his foot around it and aims for the far post from 18 yards. It’s blocked.
77 min: Salah waits for Onguéné to challenge him, then rolls his way around him and aim a curling shot towarsd the far corner. But he didn’t get his angle quite right this time, so Stankovic makes the save.
Salzburg substitution: Okugawa on, Haaland off. The 19-year-old did not live up to his star billing today. Think its fair to say he’s peaked.
Liverpool substitution: Milner on, Firmino off.
73 min: Firmino tries to poke a shot in from an acute angle on the left. He hits the sidenetting. And that’s hist last contribution ...
72 min: Hwang’s shot deflected out for a corner. When it’s delivered, Alisson collects with ease.
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70 min: Liverpool are managing this relatively well now. They don’t quite have Salzburg in a headlock but they’re keeping them at arm’s length, and the hosts’ vim is slowly dwindling. Meanwhile, in reference to Eric Schwab’s suggestion on 46 minutes, Grant Tennille quips: “I’ve always considered AOC to be more of a squad player.”
Salzburg substitution: Daka on, Jununzovic off
68 min: Another unpretentious save by Alisson, who clasps a long-range effort by Hwang like a man collecting his parcel from his mailbox.
67 min: Alexander-Arnold tries to curl a cheeky freekick from wide on the left into the near post. The keeper doesn’t see it coming, but he’s in the clear because the shot isn’t on target.
65 min: I (read: somebody else) have counted how long there was between the Liverpool goals, and the answer is a nice round 100 seconds. Thought you’d like to know.
62 min: Salzburg try to fight on in the name of the seemingly impossible. But there’s not as much conviction about them now, and Liverpool, remembering what happened at Anfield, don’t seem in the mood to relent.
GOAL! Salzburg 0-2 Liverpool (Salah 59)
That’s a ridiculous goal, especially bearing in mind Salah’s previous misses today! He ran on to a pass by Henderson, took it away from the keeper and then - from way out on the right and a preposterous angle - he clipped it into the net! It was a little like Mark Hughes’ goal for Manchester United against Barcelona in the Cup Winners’ up final way back when. Suddenly Liverpool are on Easy Street!
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GOAL! Salzburg 0-1 Liverpool (Keïta 57)
Liverpool have the breakthrough at last, thanks to a header by Keïta against his former club! It was a splendid goal. Alexander-Arnold began the move by spanking a long diagonal pass to Robertson, who helped it on to Mané. The Senegal international ran into the left-hand side of the box. The keep came to close him down but he chipped a dainty cross into the middle, where Keïta rose to nod into the net from 10 yards.
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56 min: Superb, sweeping move by Liverpool. It started with Alexander-Arnold, featured a nice touch by Salah and looked set to finish with Mane, but Kristensen defended brilliantly.
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55 min: This is a match where Liverpool could really have done with Fabinho.
Liverpool substitution: Gomez on, Lovren off. The Croatian has suffered an injury and limps off. This is not an easy match to come into off the bench. Gomez is going to have to get up to speed mighty fast.
52 min: Haaland roars into the left-hand side of the box and cracks a ferocious low shot into the sidenetting.
50 min: Firmino nips a lovely pass through to Salah, who tries to take the ball around the advancing keeper at the edge of the area. His timing is perfect, as he beats the keeper to the ball, but he only nudges it a little to the side, allowing the keeper to stretch out to poke it away! If Salah had put just a little more on that, he would have had a free shot into an empty goal from 18 yards!
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48 min: Gorgeous pass by Mané right into the path of the on-rushing Salah ... who lifts it over the keeper and the bar from 10 yards! That wasn’t as bad as his earlier miss - because he had little time - but it was far from good.
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46 min: 16 seconds into the second period, Alisson has to lope out of his box to kick into touch before Hwang can collect a pass into the right-hand channel.
46 min: Here come the teams. Incidentally, according to BT, this is the most shots there have been without a goal in a half in the Champions League for 15 years. “When does this officially become a Salah slump?” parps Eric Schwab. For my money I would prefer to see Origi or AOC (!) in the game.” I see what you did there. In fairness, though, Salah has produced some canny touches and passes so far. But his finishing has been awful.
“Please explain the permutations for scores in the second half,” pleads Ashley Cotter-Cairns. Assuming Napoli go on to win their match - they’re 3-0 up at the moment - then Liverpool will go through with a win or a draw. If they lose, then Salzburg go through instead .... UNLESS Liverpool scores four goals or more and lose by only a one-goal deficit (so 5-4, 6-5, 22-21, etc.).
Liverpool have expressed their support for an investigation into those deaths.
On a more distressing note, consider this:
Half-time: Salzburg 0-0 Liverpool
Amazingly, there were no goals in that half despite the huge number of chances created by both sides. You can attribute that to good goalkeeping and slightly shoddy finishing. It’s been a marvellously entertaining game, playing at a blistering tempo and with a lot of nimble skills and audacity. Expect all that gain in the second half - and even more drama, with both sides’ fates still very much in the balance.
45 min: Liverpool attack. Firmino feeds Salah, who plays a lovely pass through to the overlapping Keita, who tries to flip it past the keeper with the outside of his right foot. But Stankovic spreads himself well to make a vital save.
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44 min: Freekick to Liverpool 10 yards inside the opposing half. Alexander-Arnold sends a diagonal one towards the far side of the box. Haaland, back defending, wellies it away.
41 min: Mwepu unleashes a fierce, crisp shot from 25 yards. If it had been towards either of the corner, Alisson would have been in trouble. As it was, the keeper just has to stand his ground, keep his eye on the ball and make the save in that unfussy way of his.
39 min: Haaland has been pretty well contained by Liverpool so far. Minamino and Hwang, on the other hand, look very sharp and they threaten nearly every time they get the ball. They’re bringing the best out of Van Dijk, in particular.
36 min: A defensive mistakes by Salzburg presents the ball to Firmino. For a moment Liverpool look like profiting but Salzburg regroup as quickly as they press at the other end, and the threat fades.
34 min: Salah takes the freekick ... and wafts it miles wide. His finishing has been quite spectacularly bad so far today.
33 min: Wöber grabs Salah to concede a foul right on the edge of the box, to the right...
31 min: In this group’s other game, Napoli are beating Genk 2-0. That makes it all the more important for Liverpool to avoid defeat here ...
28 min: Keita tees up Salah for a simple finish from 10 yards. But he drags it wide, and not by a little! By the standards of this game he had an age to decide what to weigh up his options, but he totally bungled his shot. What Liverpool don’t want to happen now is for him to try to atone by shooting from everywhere as soon as he gets the ball. He’s been known to do that.
26 min: Forget what I said about control. It was an illusion. This is a frantic , exhilarating game. No one can relax for a moment out there. Robetson has just had to make a super sliding tackle to foil Hwang.
23 min: Minomino, who has been scheming beautifully ‘in the hole’ for Salzburg, picks out a pass to Haaland, charging into the left-hand side of the box. He drills a low shot goalward. It’s another comfortable save for Alisson, but another another warning of the danger Salzburg carry even though Liverpool have had slightly more control in the last few minutes.
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21 min: Minamino slips a pass through to Hwang, who tries to shoot while running into the left-hand side of the Lvierpool box. But he doesn’t catch it cleanly, so it’s a straightforward save for Alisson.
21 min: Mane darts on to a cute pass by Wijnaldum and tries to curl a shot from the right-hand side of the box into the far corner. The keeper makes a meal of pushing it away. Keita retrieves and unloads a shot from 18 yards. It’s blocked. Alexander-Arnold pounces on the follow-up but blasts over the bar.
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19 min: Robertson’s corner from the left is cleared. Suddenly Haaland is racing on to a big hoof downfield. Alisson rushes out of his box to tidy up.
17 min: The pace has dipped a little, as Liverpool try to exert some authority with steady possession play. “Is it just me or are all-dark red kits very similar to all-black kits?” wonders Bob Moore. “Couldn’t the Liverpool kit man have packed one of the multitude of ‘alternate’ kits?” The contrast between the kits could certainly be clearer. There’s a good case for home teams having the right to pick the outfit that visitors must wear. Polka dots, hats, nurse’s uniform, all options should be open.
14 min: Most teams struggle to cope with Liverpool’s speed and intensity. but Salzburg are matching it, maybe even exceeding it, at the moment.
12 min: Nice exchange between Mané and Robertson. The Scot bangs a low ball across the face of goal, but it’s cleared for a throw-in.
10 min: A wonderful shoulder challenge by Van Dijk on Hwang, who’s sent sideways like a skateboarder trying to ditch a bus off the road.
8 min: Mané tries to guide a curler into the bottom corner from just outside the box. He misses by a yard.
7 min: Lovely interplay by Salzburg! Hwang played a foxy backheel to Minamino in the box and then dashed in to retrieve the return pass. From eight yards he tries to stab the ball over the out-rushing Alisson, who stands up and makes a sharp one-handed save.
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6 min: Liverpool apply more pressure on the home box. A chipped cross from Mane narrowly misses the far post. The ball pingpongs around the area before Salzburg eventually scramble it away.
5 min: Lovren flights a well-aimed ball from deep over the top of the home defence. Salah takes it down and fires off a shot from 16 yards. Stankovic bats it behind for a corner. The early indications are there is no chance of this ending 0-0!
3 min: Frantic pressing by the hosts forces Alisson into a sloppy kick. Salzburg regain possession in the Liverpool half and quickly work the ball to Mwepu, who has a pop from 25 yards. It swirls a bit but Alisson holds it safely.
2 min: Van Dijk has to make another crucial intervention, a sliding tackle on the edge of the area to stop Hwang’s burst.
1 min: Salzburg-Liverpool is go! The visitors get the game going ... but within 15 seconds, Haaland is racing on to a through-ball delivered from deep. It looked for a moment like he would reach shooting range before Van Dijk caught him. But the Dutchman shifted into top gear and made a critical challenge.
The teams enter the arena, which contains just over 30,000 very excited people. They’re making a heck of din and, not so intimidatingly, waving colourful tinfoil. The home side are wearing all black, the visitors all red. It’s on!
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The teams are in the tunnel ....
Salzburg fans (or, come to think of it, maybe their potty-mouthed manager) have have erected a giant banner running across the top tier of one of the stands in the stadium. It reads, in English, “We are not Barça or Real, but we are ready for our fucking dream.” Good night, Vienna.
“Mr Erich Linemayr was the ref at that Forest-Liverpool game (and also later at the final),” announces Tom Reichart. “He was from Linz, which isn’t too far from Salzburg. The German Wikipedia tells me he also refereed the Water Battle between Poland and Germany in 1974 and the “match” between Chile and the Soviet Union in 1973. Enjoy!”
“You didn’t mention that, after getting knocked out at the group stages in 2012, Chelsea went on to win Europa League, thus holding both Champions League and the Europa League simultaneously,” protests Krish. “Tempting to Liverpool, I would say.” I would say not. If they were to lose today, the most tempting would be to win the world club title later this month (becoming simultaneously European and world champions) and sack off the Europa League to concentrate on winning the Premier League, which they haven’t won since .... when was it again? Having said that, maybe they’ll have the domestic title in the bag by the time European competition resumes next year.
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Klopp's preview
Speaking just now on BT, Liverpool’s manager isn’t attempting to downplay the importance of this rumble: “Our Champions League trip has been like this since we started it. We always have these kinds of situations so it’s no surprise. That’s how it is and we have to be ready for it. No good just talking about it, we have to show it.” As for his explanation for the inclusion of Keïta, he says: “It makes absolute sense for this game for the way we need to play. ... And he knows the stadium, but that was not the reason for it.”
Any Liverpool fans think this year has a 1979 feel to it? Back then, like now, Liverpool were aiming to reach the final of Europe’s top club competition for the third year in a row (having won it the previous two) and they only went and got knocked out in their very first tie. That was before group stage gerrymandering, of course. Their conquerors? Nottingham Forest. And the referee when Forest scored their decisive goals was from Salzburg! Well, he might have been. He was definitely from Austria, I know that much. On the plus side, Liverpool went on to win the domestic title that season...
Teams
No messing from Klopp. And a powerful vote of confidence for Naby Keïta, whose improved recent form earns him a start at his former club ahead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Salzburg: Stankovic; Nissen, Onguéné, Wöber, Ulmer; Szoboszlai, Junozovic, Minamino, Mwepu; Hwang, Haaland
Subs: Carlos, Daka, Ashimeru, Okugawa, Prevljak, Ramalho, VAllci
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Keïta, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Mané, Firmino, Salah
Subs: Adrian, Jones, Gomez, Milner, Shaqiri, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Origi
Referee: D Makkelie (Ned)
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Preamble
Hello. Welcome to a match that Liverpool never wanted to matter. The European champions were expected to have wrapped up qualification for the knockout stages by now. Instead they travel to Austria at risk of becoming only the second holders in the Champions League era – after Chelsea in 2012 - to be eliminated in the group phase. Nobody wants to be like Chelsea.
The risk is real. Salzburg are free-scoring buccaneers with boundless energy and a genuine prodigy up front: 19-year-old Erling Braut Haalann, scorer of 28 goals in 21 matches so far this season, including eight in his five group games so far. That includes the one he hit when these sides met at Anfield, when Liverpool cantered into a 3-0 lead before being slapped repeatedly across the chops and waking up in time to prevail 4-3. That lesson should serve Liverpool well today. There’s unlikely to be any complacency from Jürgen Klopp’s team and the manager, surely, will deploy his full-strength side after giving key players time off in their last two Premier League matches.
So Liverpool will be going full gun. And so, too, will Salzburg, who are aiming to claim a famous scalp and make history by reaching the knockout stages. Roll up, roll up, we have ourselves a proper showdown!
Kick-off: 5.55pm GMT, 6.55pm local
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