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Champions League

Barcola bags hat-trick in nine-goal thriller

Back-to-back UEFA Champions League winner Bradley Barcola was the star of the show, netting three times as Liverpool hammered LASK in Austria.

Ronald Araujo, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas joined Barcola on the scoresheet as the Reds cruised to a 6-3 win in the UEFA Champions League league phase.

It was all Liverpool in Linz, with Andoni Iraola’s side dominating from the off. Araujo opened the scoring with a powerful header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner in the 22nd minute, and it took just two minutes for the Reds to double the lead. Barcola finished clinically after a strong run from Rio Ngumoha and a neat pass from Koumas.

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Florian Wirtz was just as effective despite not getting on the scoresheet himself, and linked superbly with Barcola, who dinked it past a helpless Lukas Jungwirth in goal to secure his brace.

Frimpong made it 4-0 six minutes after the break, and after Robert Ljubicic pulled one back for LASK, Barcola struck again in the 66th minute. A great ball across goal was put on a plate, and all the Frenchman had to do was tuck it away.

Koumas then scored the sixth a few minutes later, capping an inspired performance in the absence of Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo. A late brace from Florian Flecker saw it end 6-3, but LASK never truly threatened a comeback.

Liverpool were in complete control, and their 19 first-half shots were the most by an away side in a Champions League match since Opta’s records began in 2003/04.

Barcola also became the first Liverpool player since Mohamed Salah against Rangers in 2022 to score a Champions League hat-trick away from home, and the club’s first in the competition since Luis Díaz against Bayer Leverkusen in 2024.

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Iraola’s starting XI, with an average age of 24 years and 186 days, was the third-youngest Liverpool have fielded in Europe.

Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

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