Liverpool met Atlanta in the second round of the last eight on an early Friday morning and as scripted broke the deadlock in just seven minutes. However, it was a surprise ending as they narrowly won 1-0 in the first leg only to lose 1-3 in the two-legged clash. Mohamed Sana missed a good solo chance and became the regret of the match, but coach Jurgen Klopp didn't blame him and instead praised his team's overall performance.
Despite Liverpool's 0-3 loss in the first round, there have been many cases of miraculous comebacks throughout history. Four years ago, EU swept Atlanta 5-0, filling many fans with anticipation. In this game, Shana did his best to turn things around by scoring a key penalty kick with seven minutes to go. Towards the end of the first half, Shana had another great opportunity, but his hat-trick failed to materialize and he missed a valuable scoring opportunity. In the second half, Liverpool's offense weakened as their stamina gradually decreased, and they were lucky to advance with a 1-0 win.
After the match, Klopp said, "This game got me out, despite the first round loss, I think Atalanta deserved to advance. I'm satisfied with the team's opening performance. If the second goal would have been scored by me, it would have undoubtedly increased the chances of winning considerably. I'm disappointed with the exit, but not angry." As for Sana, Klopp was blunt: "I'm not worried about Sana, it's common for strikers to have ups and downs in form, it's not the first time he's missed a solo goal and I'm not going to make a big deal out of it."
