Liverpool met Atletico Madrid at Anfield in the first round of the new Champions League, a tournament that has been relaunched this season
Liverpool made a strong start to the season, topping the English Premier League. Atletico Madrid had a weak start to the season, sitting 11th in La Liga before this match
The Reds played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Los Rojiblancos started with Simeone's usual 4-4-2 formation
A fast start
The match started with excitement and speed, with Liverpool scoring two goals in the first 6 minutes, scored and assisted by the Egyptian Pharaoh Mohamed Salah. The first goal came from a foul from outside the penalty area, which Salah shot, but it hit his Scottish teammate Robertson and went into the goal. The second goal came from Salah penetrating from the right side, then he played a (give and go) play and received the ball again in front of the goal, then he skillfully shot it to score the second goal, breaking the record of becoming the first player in history to be able to assist a goal and score another for an English team in the first 6 minutes of a Champions League match
The match scenario
The excitement and intensity of the match continued throughout the 90 minutes, with the two teams competing for the lead. Atletico Madrid managed to score the first goal, the comeback goal, at the best possible time, in the 48th minute of the first half, before entering the dressing room for the break and receiving instructions for the second half from their Argentine coach, Diego Simeone. The goal came via a pass from the right side from Italian striker Raspadori to Spanish right-back Marcos Llorente, who penetrated from deep and placed a precise low shot to the right of Liverpool's Brazilian goalkeeper, Alisson Becker. The battle between the two teams continued until the final minutes, in a performance characterized by strength, intensity, speed, and ferocity from both teams. Atletico Madrid scored the equalizer in the deadly moments of the game, in the 81st minute, through the same player, Llorente, with a volley from outside the penalty area that hit a defender and changed direction into the Liverpool goal. Everyone in the stadium thought the match would end in a draw, but the decisive word came in the deadly moments of the +92nd minute, with Van Dijk's header from a Liverpool corner kick. Spoiling Atletico's amazing comeback and announcing Liverpool's victory in this amazing encounter
Performance Analysis
Neither team's midfield was able to control the match; the game was a back-and-forth affair throughout the 90 minutes. Both teams' attacks proved effective, scoring five goals in the match. Both teams' defenses, however, were riddled with errors and a lack of quality, which led to the five goals being conceded. Liverpool excelled at exploiting set pieces, scoring the first goal from a foul outside the penalty area and scoring the third, decisive goal from a corner kick. On the offensive front, Liverpool created more chances than Atletico, being more organized in their play and in building attacks, especially on counterattacks. Atletico's performance was characterized by some randomness. Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah, Hungarian striker Szoboszlai, Dutchman Gravenberch, and Swedish striker Isak were the most important players for Liverpool, while right-back Llorente (who scored two goals) and Italian striker Raspadori were the most important players for Atletico. All fronts on both teams were effective, especially Salah's right flank for Liverpool and Llorente's right flank for Atletico Madrid
Salah's style was characterized by high skill and accuracy in both goals. His shooting technique in the foul that resulted in the first goal was good, as he shot the ball on the ground, going over the wall and causing confusion for the defense. In the second goal, he received and delivered an excellent pass (give and go), penetrated and beat the offside trap, and shot accurately into the goal. Llorente's technique was also high in finishing the attacks and scoring Atletico's two goals, as he used shooting accuracy to score the first goal, and used strength and skill to score the second. As for Van Dijk's killer goal, it was a perfect header that he directed powerfully and was able to hit the left of Atletico's Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak
Both teams displayed excellent physical fitness, playing with energy and skill until the referee blew the whistle. Both fans supported their teams throughout the match. Liverpool were playing at home and among their fans in the Anfield atmosphere, while Atletico's loyal fans rallied behind their team. Both fans adhered to the sporting spirit, with no deviations from the rules, except for a few skirmishes between some Liverpool fans and Atletico's Argentinian coach, Diego Simeone, after Van Dijk scored the winning goal. These skirmishes led to the referee showing Simeone a red card. However, there was a spirit of good sportsmanship from both players throughout both halves of the match, and the game was characterized by high spirits and determination, far from any roughness
Both teams were distinguished by their mental strength, as evidenced by Atletico scoring the first goal in the +48th minute of the first half, coming back into the game before the break. In the second half, they managed to equalize in the 81st minute, while Liverpool scored the winning goal in the +92nd minute from a set piece (corner kick)
Highlights
The match had some exciting twists and turns. In the 36th minute, the referee awarded a penalty kick to Liverpool, which could have killed the game early. The penalty was overturned after a VAR review. Salah and Isaac also missed several opportunities, including a cross from a counterattack in the 65th minute for Salah, who fired a shot into the left post of Atletico's goal
Among the most notable moments was the participation of Giuliano Simeone, the son of coach Simeone. He is on Atletico Madrid's squad and plays on the right wing. He had a strong and impressive presence in creating play on the right flank for Los Rojiblancos
The two teams' positions
With this match, Liverpool now sits in 11th place in the Champions League, level on goal difference with leaders Eintracht Frankfurt, while the Reds top the Premier League, having made an excellent start to the season. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are now in 23rd place, level on goal difference with last-place Atalanta, and 11th in La Liga, having made a weak start to the season
Liverpool will next face Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield in the next round of the Premier League, while Atletico Madrid will travel to face Real Mallorca in their next La Liga match
Development Points
It's clear that Liverpool will achieve success this season in the competitions it participates in due to its strong start and the brilliance of its stars, especially Van Dijk, Salah, and the rest of the players and new signings. As for Atletico, it's clear that they will struggle this season due to their weak starts in the league and the Champions League
Both teams need to improve their defense and close the defensive gaps, especially Atletico at set pieces. Atletico also needs to create more chances on goal and work on increasing their passing accuracy to reduce interceptions
From the match statistics
Shots: 20 for Liverpool, including 6 on target, and 10 for Atletico, including 4 on target Pass accuracy: 89% for Liverpool compared to 84% for Atletico
