Red" turnaround at the hot Anfield: Liverpool beat Atletico and Iraola signed an ideal debut
Dominik Szoboszlai (44') opened the door to the upset. Shortly before the break, the Magyars found a way to equalize and at the same time change the entire psychology of the match. After Mac Allister for the Liverpool´s won.
Anfield has its own way of turning European nights into stories. A night doesn't always have to start well to end with celebrations. Liverpool just needs to find its rhythm, the crowd gets up from their seats and the stadium starts to "boil". Then, even an Atletico Madrid team accustomed to difficult situations can buckle.
The Spaniards entered more calmly and punished the hosts first. Julián Álvarez read the space perfectly and sent
Marcos Llorente against Alisson. The Spaniard made no mistake and the 0-1 temporarily froze Merseyside, in the 16th minute.
Highlights via DasFootball
But Liverpool is not a team that feels comfortable with patience. They want to impose themselves, to press, to accelerate. Atletico did what they know best: they lowered their lines, closed the axis and waited. For a long time, Diego Simeone's plan seemed to work.
Until the Hungarian, Dominik Szoboszlai (44') opened the door to the upset. Shortly before the break, the Magyars found a way to equalize and at the same time change the entire psychology of the match.
The second half started exactly as Anthony Iraola would have liked. With intensity, speed and determination. The Argentine midfielder, Alexis McAllister, needed very little space to unleash his left foot and make it 2-1, in the 49th minute. . From that moment on, Anfield wasn't just full. It was alive.
Atletico tried to come back. Simeone pushed his team higher, looking for opportunities with Alvarez and through static situations, but Liverpool showed greater maturity in managing the lead. They didn't panic and, on the contrary, found spaces to threaten even with a third goal.
The final 2-1 was not just a victory in the premiere of the League Phase. It was a statement. Iraola made his first step in the Champions League with a turnaround against one of the toughest opponents in Europe.
Thus, for the second consecutive year, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, who premiered the League Phase of the Champions League at Anfield, once again smiled on the English. Noting the monstrous series victory against Diego Simeone's team - with Kostas Tsimikas coming on in the final minute, replacing Milos Kerkez.
And Liverpool were reminded of something their opponents have known for decades: at Anfield, a game doesn't end when you go ahead. It ends when the pitch falls silent.

Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Athens (Greece).












