Lewis Koumas scored his first Champions League goal for Liverpool at LASK on Wednesday night but it was ‘unbelievable’ Bradley Barcola who grabbed the headlines.
The Reds hammered the Austrian side 6-3 in a wild contest which saw Andoni Iraola’s team take a 4-0 lead before slipping up at the back.
They were never in trouble, but did concede three goals as Iraola replaced both centre-backs with a Premier League game on Saturday on his mind.
It mattered little about a leaky defence as Liverpool were ruthless in attack, with Barcola scoring his first three goals for the club since his move from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer.
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Ronald Araujo also scored his first Reds goal, while Jeremie Frimpong and then Koumas then found the back of the LASK net.
‘It’s a great feeling and to do it for Liverpool is what means the most,’ Koumas told TNT Sports of his first Champions League goal. ‘Really happy and good win away.’
Barcola has had a tricky start to life at Liverpool since the Reds signed a deal worth up to £123 million for his services.
A hat-trick will be the perfect way to boost his confidence, though, and 21-year-old Koumas had some wise words on the new arrival.
‘I think it’s been really hard for him – not in terms of on the pitch because in the changing room we all know how good he is. But moving country and trying to settle in fast is tough,’ he said.
‘I found it tough on loan so changing country completely must be something else. I’m just really happy that’s he’s shown how good he is tonight. Hopefully he just carries on doing it now.
‘He’s unbelievable. He’s an unbelievable talent and I’m sure he’ll be unreal for Liverpool.’
Liverpool boss Iraola said of Barcola: ‘I think he played so well today and not just the goals. He had more chances to score, he was always a threat attacking the spaces in behind.
‘In training sometimes you feel when a player is in the zone, and fortunately tonight for us he has shown the level that he has.’
On Koumas, the Spaniard added: ‘He has to enjoy it because he deserves it. I think he scored two disallowed goals which is unlucky for him but he kept pressing, making the runs in behind and doing his job.
‘I think it’s fair that he score his goal and can have his moment of celebration with the supporters.’
Wednesday was also a good night for Florian Wirtz, who has come in for plenty of criticism for his performances since signing from Bayer Leverkusen in 2025.
LASK are not a strong Champions League team by any stretch, but the German looked good against them, with Iraola saying: ‘I think he was amazing in possession.
‘I think he had lively passes, good assists, he helped us to control the game. Especially in the first half where he was roaming around and finding good spots. It was a good game from Florian.’