The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Fabinho turns in superb showing as Reds hold off Ajax
Nicolas Tagliafico’s own goal was en ou gh f o r Liverpool to beat Ajax 1-0 in the Champions League last night but it was the display of makeshift centre-back Fabinho which offered encouragement for the long-term absence of Virgil Van Dijk.
As expected the Brazil midfielder dropped into the back four alongside Joe Gomez, the 35 th centreback partnership to start for Jurgen Klopp, and he barely put a foot wrong in Amsterdam.
While it was not a Van Dijk-style of commanding performance it was equally effective in its own way.
A couple of successful early tackles inside his own penalty area showed his aptitude for composure and control in tight spaces while his experience as a midfielder gave him a better awareness when it came to reading the game.
None more so than when he spotted Dusan Tadic was about to lob goalkeeper Adrian, charging back to hook the ball o ff the goalline just before the break to crucially maintain the Reds’ lead.
Like Van Dijk, Fabinho also proved a threat in the opposition penalty area, having one header deflected w ide a fter beat ing goalkeeper Andre Onana in the air.
It helped Liverpool keep only their second clean sheet in 13 European games as the away team on an opponent’s ground.
Coincidentally, on the two previous occasions Van D ijk had m issed a Champions League match for Liverpool, they kept clean sheets on both occasions, against Bayern Munich and Porto in the knockout stages.
The goal, in the 35 th minute, unsurprisingly
came from the left. A throw-in picked out Sadio Mane and he cle verly turned Perr Schuurs but kicked the floor with his attempted shot.
There appeared no imminent danger but Tagliafico seemed to be caught off- guard by the mis- kick and diver ted the ball into the net for Liverpool ’s 250 th Champions League goal in their 141st match.
Manchester City made a winning start to their latest assault on the Champions League as they came from behind to beat Porto 3-1 in their Group C opener.
A little over two months after their surprise 3-1 defeat to Lyon in the quarter-finals of last
season’s tournament, City recovered from Luis Diaz’s early strike to get back in business with goals from a 40th Champions League strike from Sergio Aguero, Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres.
It was a hard- fought win against a stubborn Porto side, who defended doggedly for much of the night but were undone by Aguero’s penalty and a set-piece, before substitute To r r e s ma d e sure 17 minutes from time after Phil Foden set up the Spaniard to lift a quality finish beyond Marchesin
Porto had never won in 19 previous visits to England but had chances as those worrying defensive frailties once again crept into City’s game.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid fell to a shock 3-2 defeat at home to an under-strength Shakhtar Donetsk in a
stunning upset. Shakhtar had to field a weakened team as a result of coronavirus cases, but the Ukrainian underdogs tore Real to shreds as they raced into a 3-0 lead in an incredible first half.
Luka Modr ic and Vinicius Junior pulled goals back after the break but they were unable to avoid a humiliating loss.
Champions Bayern Munich – who won the 2020 title only 60 days ago – cruised to a 4-0 win over Atle tico Madrid while former Man United striker Romelu Lukaku scored a 90 th- minute equaliser as Inter Milan rescued a point against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Olympiakos beat Marseille 1-0 while Atalanta put four past FC Midtjylland without reply. RB Salzburg shared four goals with Lokomotiv Moscow.