Liverpool, Real Madrid’s next rival in the Champions League round of 16, today defeated Milan (4-1) in a friendly as part of the Dubai Super Cup. Mohamed Salah, Thiago Alcantara and Darwin Núñez (2) scored for the ‘reds’, while Alexis Saelemaekers scored the only goal for the ‘rossoneri’.
It will be Liverpool’s second and final friendly before they resume competition after the World Cup break with an exciting round of 16 tie for the English League Cup taking place next Thursday at the Etihad. In their first test, also in Dubai, Jürgen Klopp’s team lost to Lyon (3-1).
For their part, Milan beat Arsenal (1-2) in their World Cup break and will have a third friendly against PSV on the 30th before resuming Serie A on January 4 against Salernitana.
A more rolled Liverpool
Despite not having all the players to participate in the World Cup, Klopp has lined up more starters than his teammate Stefano Pioli. This is the case of Joel Matip, Andy Robertson, Roberto Firmino and the aforementioned Salah, Thiago and Núñez. Instead, Milan barely included Pierre Kalulu, Sandro Tonali, Rade Krunic, Ismael Bennacer and Ante Rebic among its regulars.
Salah opened the scoring in the 5th minute by completing a pass from Matip after some quick group action. The Saelemaekers equalized after half an hour with a fine goal: after receiving from Rebic, the Belgian created space and pointed with a cross shot near the post.
At 1-1, Liverpool had more control of the game and seemed more dangerous, which is why Thiago Alcantara was unable to balance the balance from outside the area before the break (41′).
Darwin came on and scored two goals
In the second half, the ‘reds’ slowed down but were more effective in distributing chances. Darwin Núñez, who replaced Firmino in game time, made it 3-1 after losing the ball from Marco Lazetic and pointed to a quick counter (82′). The Uruguayan sealed his double at will shortly after the end after Ben Doak’s pass (88′).
Milan, yes, won the subsequent penalty shootout (4-3) which according to regulation is played after each game in case of equality in the final table of the Dubai Super Cup. However, Arsenal, who won both their games in Lyon (3-0) and Milan (2-1), the title was awarded.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
