Bradley Barcola hat-trick fires Liverpool to 6-3 win at Lask
Liverpool beat Lask 6-3 in Linz in a Champions League group-stage match on 14 October 2026 as Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick and Ronald Araújo also got on the scoresheet.
The victory restored Liverpool after their defeat by Manchester City and maintained their 100% start to the Champions League. Andoni Iraola had defended the majority of Liverpool’s display against City, the club’s £123m signing from Paris Saint-Germain and the effectiveness of Florian Wirtz before the return to European action. The home end at Lask was full for the club’s first home game in the Champions League proper, but the Austrian side were outclassed by Liverpool.
A new-look central defence of Araújo and Jérémy Jacquet faced physical tests from Samuel Adeniran and Krystof Danek but coped, and Araújo opened the scoring with a header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner after Lask keeper Lukas Jungwirth failed to come off his line and Alemão conceded successive corners. Ninety-six seconds later Barcola scored his first goal for Liverpool, finishing from a Lewis Koumas lay-back following Rio Ngumoha’s run down the right.
Florian Wirtz provided the pass for Barcola’s second, the Germany international picking out Barcola’s run into the box for a composed finish beyond Jungwirth. Liverpool had 19 attempts in the first half, the most by an away side in the first half of a Champions League game since records began in 2003-04, and saw a Koumas strike ruled out for offside and a Ryan Gravenberch effort rebound off the inside of the far post.
After half-time Jeremie Frimpong rose to head home from a Tsimikas cross to extend Liverpool’s lead, while Alisson’s clean sheet was ended when Lask substitute Robert Ljubicic swept in at the near post. Barcola completed his hat-trick when Ngumoha released Frimpong down the right and the full-back’s low cross found an unmarked Barcola at the back post for a simple finish.
Frimpong then set up Koumas for a close-range goal after Lask were caught playing out from the back, and substitute Florian Flecker scored twice in four minutes from Yvan Dibango deliveries in the left to reduce the deficit. The match saw Barcola end a run of six appearances without a goal or an assist and also provided Ronald Araújo with his first goal for the club.
Iraola managed player workloads by resting Virgil van Dijk—delaying the defender’s 200th game as Liverpool captain—and Alexis Mac Allister ahead of the weekend, and the manager’s selection choices were rewarded as Liverpool routed their opponents. Liverpool travel to Brentford on Saturday.
