Liverpool returned from Austria with a resounding 6-3 victory over LASK Linz on Wednesday evening during the second matchday of the Champions League league phase, maintaining a 100% record at the start of their European campaign.
Andoni Iraola’s side entered the match looking for a strong reaction following a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League. Despite making a number of changes to the starting lineup, the visitors imposed their attacking dominance from the opening minutes.
Ronald Araújo opened the scoring with a header in the 22nd minute following a cross from Kostas Tsimikas, and Liverpool waited just two minutes to add a second through Bradley Barcola from a Louis Koumas pass, before the Frenchman struck again in the 37th minute assisted by Florian Wirtz. According to Opta, the Reds became the visiting team with the most shots in the first half of a Champions League match since data collection began in the 2003–2004 season.
Liverpool continued their onslaught after the break, with Jeremie Frimpong adding the fourth in the 51st minute. Robert Ljubičić pulled one back for the hosts in the 63rd minute, before Barcola completed his hat-trick three minutes later. The Frenchman became the first player to score a Champions League hat-trick for the Reds since Luis Díaz against Bayer Leverkusen in 2024, and the first to do so away from Anfield since Mohamed Salah against Rangers in 2022.
Koumas then got on the scoresheet himself, netting the sixth goal in the 72nd minute after having previously assisted Barcola’s first. According to Opta, the 21-year-old became only the second player of that age group or younger to both score and assist in a single Champions League match for Liverpool, following club legend Steven Gerrard.
LASK did not surrender despite the scoreline reaching 6-1, with substitute Florian Flecker scoring two quick-fire goals in the 74th and 77th minutes—both assisted by Ivan Debenjo—giving the Austrian fans something to cheer about while exposing a dip in concentration from Liverpool’s defense after the game was effectively wrapped up.
Liverpool moved up to 6 points from two wins, having opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Atlético Madrid, temporarily rising to second place with a +4 goal difference before the rest of Wednesday’s fixtures concluded. Meanwhile, LASK remained on zero points in 32nd place provisionally, having also lost their opener 1-0 to AEK Athens.
In a simultaneously played match, Italian side Como suffered their first European defeat at the hands of Feyenoord, losing 3-1 despite taking the lead through Assane Diao in the 18th minute. The Dutch side responded swiftly with a goal from Gjivai Zechiël, followed by Anis Hadj Moussa’s second, before goalkeeper Robert Sánchez scored an own goal, leaving both sides level on 3 points after two matchdays.
Liverpool return to Premier League action when they travel to face Brentford on Saturday, October 17—a match that will see Ryan Gravenberch sidelined through suspension—before hosting Villarreal at Anfield on Tuesday, October 20, in matchday three of the Champions League as they chase a third consecutive European win.
