Opening night in the UEFA Champions League at the Johan Cruyff Arena for Liverpool FC ended in a very hard-fought yet equally applaudable 1-0 victory for the injury-plagued squad of Jurgen Klopp’s, with the German missing a number of his key first-team star players.
Nicolas Tagliafico’s own goal in the first half sealed all three points in the opener of the Group D clash between the two sides on Wednesday night, as the game saw a good display of defensive awareness by the Reds, keeping the wiry Ajax attack at bay for 90 minutes.
TEAM NEWS
As expected prior to the commencement of the group stage fixture in Holland, Fabinho was given a start at centre-back alongside the returning Joe Gomez, with the former being shifted out of the midfield trio to accommodate for the absence of both senior centre-backs at Klopp’s disposal, Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip.
Jordan Henderson dropped down to the bench for unspecified reasons, as a shock start was handed to the 19-year old Curtis Jones, and the ever-present James Milner coming into the starting XI for the injured Thiago Alcantara.
MATCH PROCEEDINGS
The game started with the usual aplomb shown by Liverpool FC in recent times, with the centre-back pairing of Gomez and Fabinho opting to play out from the back, however, none of the Merseyside club’s forward options were able to trouble Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana in the opening stages.
Ajax had to deal with an injury concern in the initial minutes of the match as Mohammed Kudus was taken off the pitch and was subsequently replaced by Dutch international Quincy Promes, an addition to the hosts which gave them more pace going forward.
However, it was the Reds who opened the scoring in the 35th minute of the Group D showdown, despite a flurry of Ajax’s efforts on goal being denied by Adrian, when Sadio Mane broke through the defensive ranks of Erik ten Hag’s side and managed to put away a wayward shot on Onana’s goal.
And the Reds had to thank Argentine left-back Tagliafico for handing them an advantage heading into the close of the opening 45 minutes, with the Ajax star defender deflecting Mane’s off-target effort into the back of the net.
Liverpool FC now played with renewed confidence on the pitch, and another opportunity to double the lead soon fell Salah’s path, however, the Egyptian’s tame attempt at getting his name on the scoresheet was denied through an outstretched block by Mazraoui.
Just before the first half whistle blew, a moment of brilliance from the makeshift defender in Fabinho prevented Ajax from making the game level at 1-1, with the Brazilian international making a fantastic goal-line clearance to deny Dusan Tadic’s lob over Adrian.
With Henderson replacing Jones on the pitch following the start of the second half, the Reds had a more experienced and viable option in the centre of the park and it was seen in their approach towards doubling a narrow lead at the Johan Cryuff Arena.
A triple change was soon made by Klopp, the Firmino-Mane-Salah combination being taken off the pitch for Minamino-Jota-Shaqiri, and the new inclusions certainly made their presence felt with a number of chances being created by the visitors in the last leg of the game.
Minamino came the closest to troubling Onana with a good long-range effort, as did Jota with a couple of decent opportunities on goal, but both players were unable to widen Liverpool FC’s grasp on their opening day opposition.
The hosts looked to salvage a draw in the dying moments of the showdown, but Adrian and the Liverpool FC backline held out strongly to seal a win in the Anfield outfit’s 401st European outing, and start their 2020-21 UEFA Champions League campaign on a convincing note.
