Roger Schmidt no longer wins
Klopp’s Liverpool FC sweep over Sparta Prague
March 7, 2024, 8:55 p.m
Liverpool FC leaves no doubt about their victory early on: in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League, things at Sparta Prague were already clarified at half time. A lightning penalty plays into the Reds’ hands and lets Jürgen Klopp continue to dream of the perfect ending.
Jürgen Klopp has taken a big step towards the quarter-finals of the Europa League with Liverpool FC. In the first leg of the round of 16 at Sparta Prague, the English first division football team won 5-1 (3-0). Alexis Mac Allister (6th minute/foul penalty), Darwin Núñez (25th/45th+3), Luis Díaz (53rd) and ex-Leipzig player Dominik Szoboszlai (90th+4) scored the goals for Klopp’s team. The hosts scored thanks to a remarkable own goal from substitute Conor Bradley (46th). Thanks to the decisive victory, Liverpool is in an optimal starting position for the second leg next Thursday at Anfield Road.
Liverpool’s second goal in the Czech Republic was the thousandth scored under Klopp. Another milestone in the 476th game under the coach’s direction. The 56-year-old has now led more European games (88) than any other coach in the club’s history, the club writes on its homepage. After the break, top striker Mo Salah, who had been injured for a long time, made his comeback. Liverpool are currently leading the English Premier League, have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and have already won the League Cup. Klopp can still dream of a really big farewell. The German coach is quitting at the end of the season.
AS Roma are currently on course for their third European Cup final in a row. Paulo Dybala (12th), Romelu Lukaku (43rd), Gianluca Mancini (64th) and Bryan Cristante (68th) scored in the 4-0 (2-0) win against Brighton & Hove Albion. National player Pascal Groß was in the starting line-up for the guests. Coach Roger Schmidt and Benfica Lisbon won 2-2 (1-2) against Glasgow Rangers after being behind twice, but remained without a win for the third time in a row. The Portuguese had previously lost the cup semi-final against Sporting Lisbon (1:2) and the top league game at FC Porto (0:5).