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Unbelievable Showdown: How Liverpool’s Strikers Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak Clash in a Battle of Brilliance and Blunders!
And to think some worried Hugo Ekitike would be overshadowed by Alexander Isak at Anfield. On the night the £125m man opened his account for his new club, Ekitike contrived to upstage his striking rival, extending Liverpool’s extraordinary record of late deciders and yet drawing cutting criticism from his manager.
For the sixth time in seven games, Liverpool won late on; for the fourth time after they had lost a lead. And yet this drama at the death against Southampton took on a novel twist as Ekitike tapped in a centre from the excellent Federico Chiesa and promptly brought his own contribution to an end. Already booked for punching the ball away in a display of dissent, he collected a second yellow card for taking his shirt off in celebration.
The Frenchman has made a fine impression in his brief Liverpool career but this, as Arne Slot was swift to say, was sheer stupidity.
“Needless, not smart, I called it stupid straight away as well,” he said. “The first one was already needless and to a certain extent stupid because you have to control your emotions.”
He was irritated, too, by the egotistical nature of Ekitike’s reaction, downplaying the role of the outstanding Chiesa. “I told him that if you score in the Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it in the top corner, I can maybe understand [it],” he added. “But I am old-fashioned, I’m 47 and old. I never played at this level but I did score a few goals and if I scored a goal like this, I’d have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa and said: ‘This goal is all about you, this is not about me’.”
Will Still, who managed Ekitike at Reims, could afford to smile about it. “We caught up before the game and he said he would come on and score and give me his shirt and bugger off,” said the Southampton manager.
But Slot was more serious. Ekitike will be suspended for Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace. It may make it all the more important Isak was withdrawn after 45 minutes.
With his watching brief in the second half, the Swede had further evidence of Liverpool’s ability to make life difficult for themselves. Their winning habit remains but so, too, does an inability to look completely convincing. Slot was critical. “I was happy with a few performances but far from happy with a few others,” he said. The guilty will know who they are.
And a starting 11 costing some £250m – even if half of that went on Isak – and replacements who came for another £120m were pegged back by a team 19th in the Championship, winless since the opening day and with a mere three victories in 52 league matches.
Liverpool were horribly to blame for the leveller. Wataru Endo met Ryan Manning’s corner with an awful header, straight to Joshua Quarshie, who helped the ball into Shea Charles’ path. The Northern Ireland international scored his first goal for Southampton.
Perhaps it came a little too early, giving Liverpool time to get a winner, but Southampton could have scored sooner and Slot’s second-string side, like their supposed superiors, lacked solidity.
But they had a sight to savour in Isak celebrating. “He is the British record signing and hardly anyone talks about this,” deadpanned Slot. The roar for his goal reflected the significance. It took the £125m man some 123 minutes to open his account, spread over three appearances. “You cannot play him 90 minutes and if you only play him 45 it might take a while before he scores his first goal,” said Slot.
But the saga was for Isak to arrive, not to score. At least his Liverpool career has not begun with an inauspicious drought. “Amazing,” he said. “It was good to get back out there and score my first goal here.”
After the impasse and the acrimony over the summer, with Isak’s start to the season delayed by a different sort of strike, it was his first goal since a penalty for Newcastle against Brighton on 4 May. His previous goal in the Carabao Cup turned out to be the decider in the final against Liverpool.
It was a slick, sleek strike, too: typical Isak, albeit some 42 minutes after he perhaps ought to have scored. He had a golden chance after 45 seconds, which Alex McCarthy saved.
But McCarthy was culpable later. The Swede finished deftly after a cutback from Chiesa, who had intercepted McCarthy’s poor pass. The goalkeeper is part of the old breed – indeed, he is almost three years older than his manager, the precocious Still – and, in a strange sequel, Isak’s first assist of last season came when he latched on to another misplaced ball by McCarthy.
“We seem to keep shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Still. “We have put it in on a plate for them.” His side could, perhaps should, have led about 30 seconds earlier. Adam Armstrong chipped Giorgi Mamardashvili and saw the ball bounce back off the bar for Leo Scienza to head wide of a goal lacking a goalkeeper.
As Ekitike did later, in rather different circumstances, Isak scored and then departed. “I’m on my way to getting fit,” he said. He had spearheaded a forward line, flanked by Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha, and Isak combined well with the Italian. Chiesa was terrific: he had a goal disallowed, was denied by McCarthy and ended with two assists.
It was just his fifth Liverpool start in a new-look team. As Slot made 11 changes, and also omitted Florian Wirtz, there were debuts for Mamardashvili and Giovanni Leoni.
The Georgian goalkeeper made a flying save to tip away Armstrong’s rising shot but Leoni’s evening, like Ekitike’s but in contrasting fashion, came to an unfortunate end. The Italian defender was stretchered off, leaving Liverpool to worry if it is a cruciate ligament injury.
A second summer signing faces an enforced absence from the team, in Ekitike. If it gives him time to reflect upon and rue his stupidity, it gives Liverpool an added reason to be glad Isak is off the mark.
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South Africa’s Stunning Comeback: First World Cup Qualifying in 16 Years! Can Nigeria Snatch a Last-Minute Playoff Chance?
South Africa have qualified for their first World Cup since hosting the tournament 16 years ago, although they had Nigeria partially to thank for their progress.
South Africa beat Rwanda 3-0 in Nelspruit to finish first in Group C as Benin, who had a two-point lead going into the final round of fixtures, tumbled from top place to third in the standings after being thumped 4-0 by Nigeria in Uyo.
Victor Osimhen grabbed a hat-trick to keep Nigeria’s hopes alive as they seek to advance to a playoff next month for the four best runners-up from the nine African qualifying groups.
South Africa finished on 18 points, with Nigeria runners-up ahead of Benin on goal difference as both ended with 17 points.
South Africa had three points deducted last month after being found guilty of fielding a suspended player in an earlier qualifier in March, a mistake they admitted.
But that will be largely forgotten now as South Africa qualified for the first time since they hosted the finals in 2010.
Thalente Mbatha scored after five minutes, and Oswin Appollis netted the second in the 21st minute to put South Africa on their way. Striker Evidence Makgopa made it 3-0 in the 72nd minute with a header from a corner.
For Nigeria, Osimhen opened his account in the third minute from Samuel Chukwueze’s through pass and the same player then crossed for the striker to head home a second in the 37th minute.
He completed his hat-trick soon after halftime, heading home a chipped pass from Moses Simon, but the best goal was the last — thrashed in on the volley by Frank Onyeka.
Algeria secured qualification last week and were hoping to celebrate in front of their fans in Tizi Ouzou on Tuesday, but made heavy weather of it and needed two late penalties from Mohammed Amoura to beat Uganda 2-1.
Amoura went top of the scoring charts in the African qualifiers with 10 goals as Algeria finished their Group G campaign with 25 points.
They handed a debut in goal to Luca Zidane, the son of France World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, but he was beaten after six minutes as Steven Mukwala gave Uganda a shock lead.
Reuters
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