Liverpool took an important victory against French Marseille in the Champions League.
Away in France, Dominik Szoboszlai opened the ball just before half-time. The Hungarian in-form player surprised everyone with a free kick just outside the 16-metre area.
He shot under the Marseille wall, which bounced as the midfielder pulled away.
– There is a very high IQ on that score there, Erik Thorstvedt said during TV 2’s half-time broadcast.
– Well observed, said football coach Ronny Deila, who was a guest on TV 2.
Many teams choose to have a player lying behind the wall to prevent the possibility of shooting underneath, but Marseille dropped that.
– We tend to have that when it is at that distance there, explained Deila.
After the break, Liverpool doubled their lead. Jeremie Frimpong got free inside the 16-metre area. The right-back tried to find a teammate inside the field, but Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli was unlucky and put the ball into his own net.
In injury time, Cody Gakpo sealed the result with Liverpool’s third goal, and the three points could prove very important.
The reigning Premier League champions are now up to 4th place in the Champions League series before the final round.
If they stay in the top eight, they will go straight to the round of 16 and miss a decisive playoff.