In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League last eight clash in the early hours of Wednesday morning (6), the
Liverpool (England)
Liverpool beat Portuguese Premier League rivals Penfiga 3-1 on the road with a goal each from Ibrahim Maganadi, Shadio Vinny and Luis Dias, and are well on their way to the top of the Premier League. Liverpool's momentum was as strong as ever, winning eight consecutive away matches in all competitions, the club's longest away winning streak in 129 years, adding a touch of triumph to the upcoming Premier League top-of-the-table clash away to Manchester City on Sunday night (10).
In this match, Liverpool started the game as the hosts, and started the attack soon after, Nabikida, Mohammed Sana, and Tiago Ajandana shot at the goal to create a threat. In the 17th minute, the Reds were the first to break the deadlock, Andrew Robertson kicked a corner, center Ibasi Maganadi jumped up to head the goal, which is also his first goal since joining Liverpool this season.
Liverpool continued to control the tempo of the game and extended their lead in the 34th minute when Lluis Dyas headed in a second cross and Shadi Owaini scored with a low shot at the near post. Lluis Dyas was lively but unfortunately his shot went close to another goal.
In the second leg of the match, Penfiga got a goal back early on from the recently popular striker Davinho Nunes to make the score 1-2. The 22-year-old Uruguayan international has scored his fourth goal in the UEFA Europa League this year, and with 28 goals in all competitions, he is no wonder the top clubs, such as Man Utd, are in the race for his services.
Just when Binfiga was looking for a hopeful equalizer, Liverpool scored again in the 87th minute to make their opponents despair. Luis Dias scored a solo goal, breaking through the defense of goalkeeper Wachodimos and scoring easily into the empty net to seal the 3-1 win.
Luis Dias was named Man of the Match after contributing 1 goal and 1 assist in the match. The Colombian international, who previously played for Portuguese Superliga powerhouse Porto, knows the tactics of arch-rivals Benfica and played a key role in the game.
