Liverpool vs Como: A Goalless Friendly with a Grim Moment

At the AXA Training Centre, a 70-minute workout between Liverpool and Como ended without a goal but with one grim flashpoint that stole the headlines.

Liverpool named a heavyweight line-up for what was, on paper, a low-key pre-season outing. Alexis Mac Allister pulled the strings, Federico Chiesa added star power in attack, and Kostas Tsimikas patrolled the flank as the Reds tested their sharpness against disciplined Serie A opposition.

The game itself never truly caught fire. Liverpool probed, Como held firm, and the clock ticked through a controlled, almost training-ground rhythm. Then came the moment that jolted everyone awake.

Como defender Dossena rose to contest an aerial ball, colliding in the challenge involving James McConnell and Will Wright. As he landed, he came down awkwardly on his hand. The impact was immediate and brutal.

Television cameras cut in tight. The close-up of Dossena’s severely dislocated finger was so graphic that LFCTV commentators quickly apologised to viewers. It was the kind of image that makes even seasoned professionals look away.

For a few moments, the football stopped mattering. Medical staff from Como rushed on, treated the 27-year-old on the turf and bandaged the damaged finger. The injury looked like the end of his afternoon.

Instead, Dossena got back to his feet.

Strapped up and still clearly in discomfort, he returned to the pitch and played on. Six more minutes in a shortened, goalless friendly might sound insignificant on a team sheet, but in context it said everything about his mentality.

Liverpool kept pushing for a late breakthrough. Como, with their wounded defender back in the line, dug in and refused to yield. The Italian side saw out the remaining minutes and walked away with a clean sheet from an unusual pre-season contest that will be remembered less for the scoreline and more for one defender’s refusal to step aside.