Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk praises Bradley Barcola after his hat-trick

14.10.26 FT Champions League

LASK

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Liverpool

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Bradley Barcola has finally got his Liverpool career up and running. After scoring a hat-trick in the Reds’ spectacular victory over LASK Linz (6-3) on Wednesday in the Champions League, the France international received praise from his captain, Virgil van Dijk. The defender believes this performance could give him fresh momentum after a difficult start.

Van Dijk hails an exceptional performance

Having joined from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer, Barcola was still searching for his first goals in his new colours. His performance in Austria changed that: he scored three goals and made a major contribution to Liverpool’s victory:

This means a lot to Bradley. He is very introverted and doesn’t show a great deal of emotion, but everyone knows that this performance will help him enormously. Hopefully, we’ll see many more hat-tricks from him.

The Reds captain also stressed the importance of the collective environment in allowing the French signing to express himself fully:

Scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League is a fantastic achievement, both for him and for us.

A breakthrough after a difficult start

Despite his significant investment during the last transfer window, Barcola had made several appearances without scoring or providing an assist. His hat-trick against LASK therefore allowed him to open his account for Liverpool and respond to the initial criticism. The Reds nevertheless ended the match with some defensive concerns.

After taking a 4-0 lead, they conceded three goals and allowed their opponents back into the game, although their victory was never ultimately compromised. Van Dijk, who came on in the second half after being rested, acknowledged that his introduction, along with that of Joe Gomez, had made the end of the match more eventful than expected.

Aliou Toundé |

Editorfr

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