Salah double in Reds rout
Mohamed Salah scored in each half to lead Liverpool to a 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League yesterday, taking the Egypt winger to a halfcentury of goals in just 65 appearances for the English club.
Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane also netted at Anfield as the attacking trio that fuelled Liverpool’s march to the Champions League final last season combined to hand Red Star another heavy loss, after their 6-1 thrashing at Paris SaintGermain last time out.
Xherdan Shaqiri played a key role in the win – helping to set up two of the goals – on a night he was whistled and booed whenever he received the ball. The jeers came from a few sections of the crowd and were presumably from Red Star fans who, officially at least, were supposed to be banned from attending the game as a punishment for causing trouble during the Serbian team’s playoff at Salzburg in August.
Shaqiri is a Switzerland international who was born in Kosovo, the former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Serbia doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s independence and relations between the two countries remain tense.
It was a second win in three Group C matches for Liverpool, which moved them into first place following the 2-2 draw between Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli.
In Group B, PSV captain Luuk de Jong scored a late equaliser to salvage a 2-2 draw against 10-man Tottenham.
Tottenham had recovered from giving away a first-half goal and looked headed toward a 2-1 victory until goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was sent off in the 79th minute for fouling Hirving Lozano, who had earlier capitalised on a mistake by Toby Alderweireld to put PSV ahead.
Christian Eriksen, making his first start after a month out with an abdominal injury, was involved in the buildup for Lucas Moura’s equaliser and set up Harry Kane for Spurs’ second.
The shared points were the first for both teams in Group B following defeats to Inter Milan and Barcelona. The Spanish champions beat Inter 2-0 at the Camp Nou in the later game.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone has long fashioned a team in his own tough image, and in eight years had never seen such a heavy defeat as their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Borussia Dortmund in their Group A match.
Dortmund deservedly led at halftime, though Axel Witsel’s 38th-minute shot took a big deflection to beat goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Dortmund’s three late goals came from the bench, with two from Portugal midfielder Raphael Guerreiro and one from new England international Jadon Sancho, who had replaced American Christian Pulsiic. Guerreiro’s second and Dortmund’s fourth stemmed from a slack pass in the 89th minute by Atletico left-back Filipe Luis.
Veteran goalkeeper Iker Casillas saved a 10th-minute penalty from Manuel Fernandes in Porto’s 3-1 Group D win at Lokomotiv Moscow.
Porto got their own penalty in the 26th minute, scored by Moussa Marega, and further goals came from Mexicans Hector Herrera and Jesus Corona.
Lokomotiv’s first Champions League goal in almost 15 years saw Alexei Miranchuk assist for his twin brother Anton.
Galatasaray drew 0-0 with visiting Schalke, leaving Porto top of Group D with seven points.