It’s been a topsy-turvy night for Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday. After a series of back and forth, the Merseyside giants ended up unable to finish the game and had to settle with a 2-2 draw against La Liga stalwarts Sevilla at Anfield.
French striker Wissam Ben Yedder opened the scoring for the away side early on in the first half, while Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino and recent signing Mohamed Salah scored the goals for the Anfield outfit. However, it would be Joaquin Correa who would end the show with a fabulous free-kick to earn his side a point in their first game in the Champions League group stage.
Correa’s free-kick will certainly send a sting in many Liverpool fans. The intelligent midfielder also scored a brilliant free-kick during the two sides’ meeting at the 2016 Europa League final in Basel last year. Liverpool ended up losing that game 3-1.
It looked as if the Anfield faithful was about get the same treatment when Ben Yedder scored as early as the fifth minute to give Sevilla the lead. The Frenchman pounced on a beautiful cross from teammate Sergio Escudero. Ben Yedder then capped it off with a beautiful finish via a right-footed shot.
Liverpool did not take long to respond when just fifteen minutes later when Alberto Moreno’s pass cuts through Sevilla’s defence, sending the ball towards Firmino inside the six-yard box. At point-blank range, the Brazilian would score with an empathic goal to seal an equaliser.
A few minutes later, Liverpool would score again thanks to Salah, who drove home a spectacular shot from outside the box to put his side in the lead.
Mohamed Salah has now scored in 3 consecutive games at Anfield. ⚽️ #UCL pic.twitter.com/2eggsWTBaD
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 13, 2017
Then, perhaps to the huge dismay of the home fans, Firmino would miss a penalty kick after Nico Pareja commits a foul inside the box. Like a chance to grab offers on favorite merchandise, it was a huge opportunity for Liverpool to break away, and they’ve missed it.
That missed opportunity came back to haunt them in the second half, when Correa would step up from a dead-ball situation and curl the ball in with utmost precision to earn his side a point on English soil.
1 – Roberto Firmino is the 1st Liverpool player to miss a penalty in the Champions League since Steven Gerrard v Marseille (Dec 2007). Post.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 13, 2017
As such, Liverpool would end their first match in the Champions League since 2014 in a disappointing draw. Fans will be definitely left wondering if they have what it takes to go through the group stages. As for Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, the hard work begins now as he must steel his side for the challenges that are surely ahead.