PRAGUE: Darwin Nunez’s brace brought Liverpool within sight of the Europa League quarter-finals as they clinched a 5-1 win in the first leg of the last-16 phase at Sparta Prague on Thursday.
Star striker Mohamed Salah returned to the squad as a second-half substitute from an injury that had allowed him to only play 46 minutes for Liverpool since his early retreat from the African Cup of Nations in January.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the score against the reigning Czech champions and topflight leaders with a sixth minute penalty after being brought down by Asger Sorensen in the box.
Nunez added a second with a long-range shot from outside the box over diving Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl in the 25th minute.
The Uruguay striker made it 3-0 in the stoppage time of first half with a low blast from just inside the box to the far post.
Conor Bradley came on as a half-time substitute and the game turned sour for him 40 seconds later as he deflected Sparta winger Veljko Birmancevic’s cross into his own net.
Luis Diaz, however, made it 4-1 on 53 minutes, beating Vindahl with a deflected shot and Dominik Szoboszlai, also returning from injury as a second-half substitute, rounded off the score in the stoppage time.
Salah found the net six minutes from time but his goal was called off as VAR caught him offside.
Liverpool have all but secured a place in the March 15 draw for the quarter-finals, which will also reveal their potential semifinal opponents.
The Reds controlled much of the game while Sparta relied largely on breaks.
The hosts came close several times but goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher stopped unmarked Lukas Haraslin’s close-range effort with his fingertips and Birmancevic then missed a gaping net.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made three changes from Saturday’s Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.
Captain Virgil van Dijk only came on as a second-half substitute with Andrew Robertson wearing the band on his Europa League debut.
Liverpool are eyeing a remarkable quadruple in Klopp’s final season as manager at Anfield as they have won the League Cup and are through to the last eight of the FA Cup.
They also top the Premier League, one point ahead of Manchester City whom they face on Sunday.
Nunez brace helps Liverpool sink Sparta as Salah returns
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Nunez brace helps Liverpool sink Sparta as Salah returns
- Star striker Mohamed Salah returned to the squad as a second-half substitute from an injury
- Liverpool have all but secured a place in the March 15 draw for the quarter-finals
Fight week begins in Riyadh for Ring V: Night of the Samurai
- In Saturday’s main event at the Mohammed Abdu Arena, undisputed super bantamweight world champion Inoue defends his titles against Mexican challenger Picasso in a 12-round showdown
RIYADH: Fight week activities for Ring V: Night of the Samurai officially began on Tuesday at Boulevard City, launching the countdown to one of Riyadh Season 2025’s headline boxing events.
At the opening grand arrivals event at the Global Theater, several international fighters walked the red carpet, including Reito Tsutsumi, Leobardo Sanchez, Taiga Imanaga, Eridson Garcia, Willibaldo Garcia, Kenshiro Teraji, Junto Nakatani and Sebastian Hernandez, before the arrival of main-event fighters Naoya Inoue and Alan Picasso.
In Saturday’s main event at the Mohammed Abdu Arena, undisputed super bantamweight world champion Inoue defends his titles against Mexican challenger Picasso in a 12-round showdown.
The fight card features five bouts in total, including an IBF super flyweight world title contest between Mexico’s Garcia and Japan’s Teraji, as well as Nakatani’s debut at super bantamweight against unbeaten Mexican Hernandez.
Fight week continues on Wednesday with open workouts for fans and media, while the event will be broadcast globally on DAZN, with exclusive coverage in Japan on Lemino.
