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Dutch and Liverpool FC (LFC) captain Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate of France were crucial in Liverpool's 3-1 victory over AC Milan (ACM) in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) opener in Milan on Tuesday.
According to Goal.com, Liverpool faced early pressure at San Siro Stadium, with Van Dijk's crucial clearance and a subsequent offside call stopping a dangerous Milan attack. However, the United States' Christian Pulisic managed to get past Greece's Kostas Tsimikas and Van Dijk to score for Milan. Liverpool FC quickly found their rhythm. Mohamed Salah of Egypt hit the bar twice, but the Reds equalized with English player Trent Alexander-Arnold's free-kick that Konate headed in. They then took the lead when Van Dijk scored from a corner. In the second half, Liverpool sealed their win when Ryan Gravenberch of the Netherlands passed to Hungary's Dominik Szoboszlai, who set up with another Dutch Cody Gakpo to cross for Szoboszlai to score again. This season marks the debut of the new UCL format. A total of 36 clubs from Europe's premier football leagues will compete in a league phase, which replaces the traditional group stage. Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with an equal split of home and away fixtures. Every match's outcome will significantly impact the league table standings. The top eight teams will automatically advance to the UCL round of 16. Teams finishing between 9th and 24th place will enter a two-legged knockout play-off phase, with the winners securing the remaining eight spots in the round of 16. Teams finishing below 24th will be eliminated from the competition. According to Olympics.com, the knockout stages will be beginning in February. The grand final is set to be held on May 31, 2025 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. (ANI)
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