Salah, Thiago on Target as Liverpool Moves into the Knockout Stages
Liverpool retained their perfect Champions League record this season by defeating Porto at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp’s team, who had already clinched top position in Group B and a place in the knockout rounds after winning their first four games, added three more points against the Portuguese.
The Reds were not at their best in the first half, and although they were far from their best in the second, they scored two magnificent goals to seal another win.
Thiago scored a magnificent long-range goal for Spain, darting across the ball to unleash a rasping 25-yard effort that nestled in the bottom corner.
Mohamed Salah then cut in from the right and jinked past a visiting defender to score at the near post.
Porto was penalized for squandering a great opportunity after 11 minutes when Otavio side-footed over from eight yards out with an empty net in front of him.
Liverpool thrashed Porto 5-1 in the opposite tie in Portugal and might have claimed another resounding win had Sadio Mane’s deft finish and Takumi Minamino’s close-range volley not been called out for offside.
“Whoever sees Thiago in training knows he has the technique to do it but even with this technique it doesn’t happen constantly that he can fire such a thunderball”. Klopp said
“We could have done better and been more calm in the first half but we were a bit hectic. That is not unusual when you put a team out that has not played together a lot.
“Some people think we might play an easy game but we were not here for that, Anfield is sold out so we want to go (for it).”
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The great news for Porto is that AC Milan won their against Atletico Madrid, ensuring that the Portuguese team remains second in the group.
