Van Dijk scores late, Liverpool edge Atlético in Champions League opener | OneFootball

Liverpool debuted in the Champions League with a victory this Wednesday by defeating Atlético de Madrid, 3-2, at Anfield, with two quick goals from Robertson and Salah, and another in the dying moments from Van Dijk. Llorente scored twice for the Colchoneros.

The match marked the debut of striker Alexander Isak for Liverpool. The Swede was part of the most expensive transfer in English football history, being sold by Newcastle for 125 million pounds (£902 million) after a long saga.

Liverpool returns to the field next Saturday, facing the classic match against Everton at Anfield for the English Championship. In the Champions League, the Reds will be in action again on September 30th, against Galatasaray from Turkey, away from home.

Atlético de Madrid, on the other hand, visits Mallorca next Sunday for the Spanish Championship. In the Champions League, their opponent will be Eintracht Frankfurt from Germany, also on September 30th, at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid.

Standings Situation

It was the first game for both teams in the league phase of the Champions League. Each team will play eight matches seeking direct qualification for the round of 16 of the competition or, at least, the playoffs where a spot in the next phase will be at stake.

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Match Summary

LIVERPOOL 3 X 2 ATLÉTICO DE MADRID

Competition: Champions League  Location: Anfield, in Liverpool (England)  Date: September 17, 2025 (Wednesday)  Time: 4 PM (Brasília time)

Yellow Cards: Lenglet, Le Normand (Atlético de Madrid)  Red Cards:

Refereeing

Goals Liverpool Robertson, at 4' of the 1st half, Salah, at 6' of the 1st half, and Van Dijk, at 47' of the 2nd half

Atlético de Madrid Llorente, at 48' of the 1st half and at 35' of the 2nd half

🔴⚪ LIVERPOOL

Alisson; Frimpong (Conor Bradley), Konaté, Van Dijk, and Robertson (Kerkez); Gravenberch and Szboszlai; Salah, Florian Wirtz (Ngumoha), and Gakpo (Mac Allister); Alexander Isak (Ekitiké). Coach: Arne Slot.

🔴⚪🔵ATLÉTICO DE MADRID

Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, and Javi Galán; Gallagher (Nahuel Molina), Barrios, Simeone, and González (Marc Pubill); Raspadori (Koke) and Griezmann (Sorloth). Coach: Diego Simeone.

The Game

Liverpool had a devastating start and by six minutes they were already leading 2-0. The Reds' first goal came at four minutes. After a free-kick by Salah, the ball deflected off the left-back and ended up in the back of the net, surprising goalkeeper Oblak.

Two minutes later, Salah was more successful. The Egyptian exchanged passes with Alexander Isak, entered the area, and scored past the goalkeeper, extending Liverpool's lead and sending Anfield into a frenzy.

Atlético de Madrid only managed to respond in the first half's stoppage time when Llorente received a pass from Raspadoni inside the area, controlled it, and shot into the corner, "beating" goalkeeper Alisson, who stretched fully but couldn't make the save.

In the second half, coach Diego Simeone made changes to Atlético de Madrid's team to push forward in search of an equalizer. With a different approach, the Colchoneros managed to balance the match, maintained more possession, but struggled to penetrate Liverpool's defense.

With the lead, the Reds relied on a low block to exploit counterattacks with an extremely efficient transition game, given they have world-class speedsters like Mohamed Salah. However, it was Atlético de Madrid who scored again with Llorente, who this time scored a stunning goal by taking advantage of a loose ball at the edge of the area and striking it without letting it touch the ground, surprising goalkeeper Alisson.

But before the final whistle, Liverpool managed to regain the lead with Van Dijk, already in second-half stoppage time. Szboszlai took a corner, and the Dutch defender rose unmarked to head into the corner, leaving Oblak with no chance, securing a hard-fought victory for the Reds at Anfield.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.