A Barcola hat-trick carried Liverpool to a 6-3 win at LASK in the Champions League on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, giving Bradley Barcola his first goals for the club. The French forward scored in the 24th, 37th and 66th minutes at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, Austria.
The result gives Liverpool two wins from two league-phase games and six points. They led 3-0 at half-time and 6-1 after 72 minutes, before LASK scored twice in three minutes late on to make the scoreline look closer than the match felt for most of the night.
How the Barcola hat-trick unfolded
Liverpool broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute, when defender Ronald Araujo headed in from a Kostas Tsimikas corner. Barcola doubled the lead within about two minutes, according to ESPN’s match report, which put the gap at 96 seconds. Other match data credits Lewis Koumas with creating the chance.
Barcola’s second came in the 37th minute from a pass by Florian Wirtz and sent Liverpool in 3-0 up at the break. Jeremie Frimpong made it 4-0 six minutes after the restart, finishing another Tsimikas delivery. Tsimikas wore the captain’s armband, with Virgil van Dijk rested and used as a second-half substitute, according to match reports.
Barcola completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute, set up by Frimpong. Six minutes later Koumas scored Liverpool’s sixth, from a Frimpong pass, after having two earlier efforts ruled out for offside.
LASK’s late response
LASK’s first goal came in the 63rd minute through Ljubicic. Substitute Florian Flecker then scored twice, in the 74th and 77th minutes, and match reports credit defender Yvan Dibango with setting up all three LASK goals.
The Austrian side arrived in poor form in Europe. They lost 1-0 at AEK Athens on the opening matchday, and UEFA noted before kickoff that they had not won in their previous nine group or league-phase games in European competition. They reached this stage by overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit against Celtic in a play-off, winning the tie 5-4 on aggregate, according to Liverpool’s club preview.
Liverpool had around 64% of possession and won the corner count 11-3, according to match data. ESPN’s expected-goals figures, which estimate the quality of chances created, put Liverpool at 3.34 and LASK at 2.02.
Why the performance matters for Barcola
Barcola joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain on August 31 in a deal reported at roughly £123 million to £124 million. AFP described it as the highest fee ever paid for a Ligue 1 player. Before Wednesday, he had no goals or assists in his first six appearances for the club, according to match coverage.
His Champions League debut for Liverpool on Matchday 1 had been uneven. Against Atletico Madrid on September 9, he missed a clear chance and was substituted around the hour mark with cramp, though Liverpool still won 2-1. At PSG, Barcola scored 39 goals and provided 35 assists in 152 appearances over three years, according to Liverpool’s club profile, and he is a two-time Champions League winner.
For manager Andoni Iraola, the win answers a weekend defeat to Manchester City and gives the attack, which includes new signing Victor Munoz and playmaker Wirtz, a confidence boost. Liverpool will need to tighten up defensively, however, after conceding three times against a side that created chances mainly through wide deliveries.
What comes next
Liverpool host Villarreal at Anfield on October 20 in their next league-phase match, according to the competition schedule. Reports also point to a Premier League trip to Brentford this weekend. For LASK, the defeat leaves them without a win from their first two league-phase games, with a long way to go in a 36-team table in which every point counts.