Nine-Goal Thriller in Linz
LINZ — Liverpool claimed their second win of the 2026/27 Champions League in spectacular fashion. Visiting the Raiffeisen Arena on Wednesday (10/14/2026) evening local time, the Reds beat hosts LASK Linz 6-3 in a nine-goal thriller.
Ronald Araujo opened the scoring with his first Liverpool goal in the 22nd minute, before Bradley Barcola doubled the lead two minutes later and added a second before half-time. Jeremie Frimpong extended the advantage with a header in the 51st minute, Barcola completed his hat-trick in the 66th, and Lewis Koumas made it 6-1. The hosts fought back late through Robert Ljubicic's strike and two goals from Florian Flecker.
Barcola Ends His Goal Drought
The hat-trick was a breakthrough moment for Barcola. The France forward joined from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window for 123 million pounds but had yet to score or assist in six appearances, drawing growing scrutiny.
The three goals against LASK were Barcola's first in a Liverpool shirt and made him the 13th player in club history to score a hat-trick in the European Cup. "Sometimes you feel it when a player is in the zone, and fortunately for us he showed the level that he's got," said manager Andoni Iraola, who had earlier expressed full confidence in Barcola and Florian Wirtz despite criticism of both.
Iraola's Rotation and a First-Half Record
Iraola rotated heavily, benching Virgil van Dijk — only the third time the captain had not started in 39 of Liverpool's Champions League games. Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, and Dominik Szoboszlai were absent through injury, so Koumas was trusted to lead the line and repaid that faith with a goal after having two efforts ruled out for offside.
Liverpool's aggression showed in the 19 shots they unleashed in the first half — a new record for an away team in a single Champions League half. The Reds' defense, however, also looked fragile: all three LASK goals came after Van Dijk and Joe Gomez were introduced in the 62nd minute.
Bouncing Back After the Man City Defeat
The victory was an emphatic response to the 3-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City last weekend — the first loss in eight games under Iraola. Liverpool now have two wins from two in the league phase after previously beating Atletico Madrid 2-1.
For LASK, the night remained historic as their first home game in Europe's elite club competition. The Austrian side had lost narrowly 1-0 to AEK Athens in their September opener.
