Barcola Hat-Trick Powers Liverpool Past LASK in 6-3 Champions League Thriller

Bradley Barcola finally arrived at Liverpool in spectacular fashion. The French winger scored a hat-trick on Wednesday night as the Reds ran riot at Austrian champions LASK, winning 6-3 in a wild Champions League league-phase clash in Linz. It was his first senior treble, and his first goals for the club since a summer move from Paris Saint-Germain worth up to 123 million pounds.

The performance came at a crucial moment for Andoni Iraola’s side. Liverpool had suffered their first defeat under the new manager, a 3-0 loss to Manchester City at the weekend, and Barcola had gone six appearances without a goal or an assist since arriving at Anfield. The 23-year-old, who wears the number 29 shirt, had been under growing scrutiny. He answered it in emphatic style at the Raiffeisen Arena, and both his name and LASK were climbing the trending charts on X within minutes of the final whistle.

Barcola Takes Over in Linz

Liverpool came out flying and fired 19 shots in the opening half, a Champions League record for an away team in a first half. Ronald Araujo opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, heading home from a Kostas Tsimikas corner for his first goal for the club. Just 96 seconds later, Barcola was on the scoresheet, calmly sweeping a finish into the left-hand corner after Lewis Koumas teed him up.

His second arrived in the 37th minute, and it was a gem of a team move. Florian Wirtz, who had been criticized after the Manchester City defeat, threaded a pass through the defense and Barcola slotted it home coolly. Liverpool led 3-0 at the break, the first time they had done so in a Champions League match since April 2018, when they led Manchester City by the same scoreline.

Jeremie Frimpong made it four six minutes after halftime, meeting a Tsimikas cross with a header that went in off the post. Tsimikas, who captained the side, was the creative heartbeat of the night with six chances created and two assists.

Defensive Wobbles Spoil the Party

The game turned chaotic after the hour mark. Iraola sent on Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez at center-back in the 62nd minute, replacing Jeremy Jacquet and Araujo, and LASK promptly struck. Robert Ljubicic drilled home in the 63rd minute after a ball from Yvan Dibango, and it looked like the hosts might have a foothold.

Liverpool answered instantly. Barcola completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute, tapping into a gaping net from Frimpong’s cross, and Koumas added a sixth in the 72nd minute with a close-range finish after having two earlier efforts ruled out for offside. At 6-1, the contest looked finished.

It was not quite that simple. Florian Flecker pulled one back in the 74th minute, heading into an open goal from another Dibango delivery, and then struck again moments later to make it 6-3. Dibango was involved in all three LASK goals, and the last player to record three assists in a Champions League match was, fittingly, Van Dijk back in January. Liverpool’s defending in the closing stages was sloppy, and Iraola will have plenty to say about it in the days ahead.

Records, Reaction and What Comes Next

The numbers underline just how wild this one was. Liverpool generated 26 shots and 3.34 expected goals, while the nine-goal thriller was the club’s highest-scoring European match since the 2001 UEFA Cup final win over Alaves. Barcola became Liverpool’s first player to score a treble in any competition since Luis Diaz against Bayer Leverkusen in November 2024. Koumas, meanwhile, became the youngest player to both score and assist in a Champions League game for Liverpool, breaking a record previously held by Steven Gerrard.

For Barcola, the timing could hardly be better. A big-money signing who had gone quiet through his first weeks in English football now has a hat-trick on the European stage, and that kind of confidence boost can change a season. Wirtz also appears to have quieted some of his critics with a creative performance that led the way before the break.

The result gives Liverpool their second win of the league phase and a healthy goal difference heading into the next round of fixtures. Fans who like to follow the action with a wager can check the latest DraftKings promo code offers ahead of Liverpool’s next outing. With Barcola now off the mark, the big question is whether he can carry this form back to the Premier League, where Liverpool will be eager to bounce back from the Manchester City loss.