Virgil van Dijk was the hero at Anfield as his stoppage-time header secured Liverpool a thrilling 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in their Champions League opener on Wednesday night. Softfootball reported in the games preview that the reresult was expected to be tight and even predicted a 2-1 scoreline in favour of Liverpool, and with the game tied at 2-2, Van Dijk wasnt interested in leaving Anfield without maximum points. The Dutchman rose highest in the 92nd minute to nod home Dominik Szoboszlai's corner, clinching Liverpool's fifth victory of the season courtesy of a goal beyond the 83rd minute.
Arne Slot's men exploded out of the blocks, with Mohamed Salah setting the tone early. His deflected free-kick ricocheted off Andy Robertson and wrong-footed Jan Oblak to put the Reds in front. Minutes later, Salah doubled the lead in trademark style, gliding past defenders after a slick one-two with Ryan Gravenberch before burying his finish to reach 250 goals in English club football.
Mohammed Salah became a part of Champions League history today, with Liverpool revealing via their official X account that the Egyptian king is the first player to achieve a goal and assist in the first six minutes of the tournament.