It was a night when everything clicked for Liverpool, summed up by the moment that got the ball rolling. Dominik Szoboszlai’s opening goal, a brilliantly controlled conversion of Alexis Mac Allister’s low corner, was the product of training-ground preparation on the eve of their 4-0 win against Galatasaray. “We were practising yesterday in training and I’m happy that it worked out,” explained Szoboszlai, the Player of the Match.
Szoboszlai’s strike and his involvement in two of Liverpool’s other goals are the focus of the following analysis, brought to you by FedEx, in which UEFA Technical Observer Erik ten Hag assesses his contribution to the Reds’ round of 16 comeback success.
As it happened: Liverpool 4-0 Galatasaray
In the Zone: ‘Timing and control’ of Szoboszlai shot’Great ability’
To start with Szoboszlai’s breakthrough goal, Ten Hag praised the technical quality of that 25th-minute finish. “He’s really passing the ball into the net,” he said. “It’s a difficult ball to finish as it’s coming with a bounce but his timing’s great. It’s absolutely controlled. He sends the ball to the only space that’s free.”
It is even more admirable for the fact he hits it with his supposedly weaker left foot, adjusting his stride to take the shot on that side, as observed by Ten Hag who also noted how his team-mates cleared the space for him to aim at.
The second video below displays Szoboszlai’s role in the second and fourth goals. Liverpool’s speed and directness down the middle were a key factor and this is illustrated by Hugo Ekitiké’s goal, with Szoboszlai’s first-time pass through the midfield line sparking the flow of one-touch actions that concludes with the ball in the net.
In the Zone: Szoboszlai’s line-breaking passing
“It’s very direct, very vertical,” said Ten Hag. “The whole midfield line is beaten by the pass from Szoboszlai and then it’s so quick from there. It looks simple but it’s very decisive.”
Szoboszlai was part of the passing chain too for the two subsequent goals, notably Mohamed Salah’s magnificent fourth which features in clip two. “He’s speeding up the attack,” observed Ten Hag of how the Hungary midfielder waited for the perfect moment for Florian Wirtz to be able to move on to the ball.
Summing up, Ten Hag added of Szoboszlai: “His passing, his verticality, his linking were all excellent and also his pressing and counter-pressing, winning second and third balls.” In this sense, he embodied Liverpool’s impressively relentless approach. “We didn’t drop at all in terms of our intensity,” said coach Arne Slot and Szoboszlai’s 12 defensive actions (combining recoveries and tackles) placed him joint-first with Ryan Gravenberch – something else he and the Reds got right on the night.
FedEx Performance Zone