Liverpool Defeats Atletico Madrid 2-1: Barcola's Injury Update
Andoni Iraola moved quickly to calm Liverpool nerves after a gripping 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid, insisting record signing Bradley Barcola suffered nothing more than cramp on his first Champions League start for the club.
The £106million summer arrival, whose fee could rise to £123m, sparked concern just before the hour at Anfield when he went down clutching his left calf. Medical staff treated the French winger on the pitch as he grimaced and rubbed the muscle, before he was replaced by Jeremie Frimpong.
Any fear of a serious setback for the 21-year-old was swiftly played down by his manager.
"It's just cramps, especially with Bradley," Iraola said. "We are kind of rushing him as we haven't had him in pre-season."
Barcola is still being eased into Liverpool life. He only made his Premier League debut last Friday, a 26‑minute cameo against Ipswich Town, and this was his first start in red. The intensity of a Champions League night at Anfield, against a snarling Atletico side, caught up with him.
It came at the end of a frustrating personal spell for the winger. Minutes before going off, he had the chance to put Liverpool in front. Florian Wirtz sliced Atletico open with a perfect through-ball, Barcola burst clear, Anfield rose… and he dragged his finish wide of the far post.
The miss could have lingered. It didn’t.
Alexis Mac Allister, playing with the freedom of a man who recently revealed the club do not plan to offer him a new contract, stepped up with a statement strike. Collecting the ball just outside the box, the midfielder unleashed a savage left-footed drive that ripped past Jan Oblak and sent the Kop into full roar, turning the game on its head.
Atletico had drawn first blood. On 17 minutes, Marcos Llorente drifted past Milos Kerkez far too easily and hammered a low, driven effort beyond Alisson. It was a familiar sight for Liverpool in this competition. Llorente’s goal was his tenth in the Champions League; astonishingly, half of them have come against Liverpool, all at Anfield.
The Spanish side then did what they do best: slowed the game, broke the rhythm, and tried to suffocate the atmosphere. Liverpool huffed, probed, and grew increasingly irritated as the clock ticked towards half-time.
Then came the flash of class that changed everything.
In the 40th minute, Ronald Araujo produced the kind of touch that lives in highlight reels. With defenders tight, he slipped the ball between an Atletico man’s legs with a delicate flick, sending it straight into the path of Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian did the rest, opening his body and sliding a composed finish past Oblak to level the scores.
The goal belonged to Szoboszlai on the teamsheet, but the moment belonged to Araujo. Anfield knew it, and let him know.
Liverpool pushed on after the break, their energy rising as Atletico retreated deeper. The hosts thought they had their cushion late on when substitute Frimpong pounced on a rebound from close range and turned the ball in. Anfield exploded again – briefly.
The flag was up almost instantly. A quick check confirmed the decision: offside, goal chalked off, advantage still slender.
It stayed tense to the end, but Liverpool saw it out, banking three points and, crucially, emerging without any major damage to their most expensive signing.
Next up is Fulham at Anfield on Saturday, before a trip to Austria to face LASK on October 14. With Barcola building fitness and already feeling the full weight of European nights on Merseyside, how quickly can he turn that price tag into match-winning moments?
