Hugo Ekitike had his first outing in Liverpool colours in front of over 67,000 fans in Japan, as Florian Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha scored in a 3-1 win over Yokohama.
A bobbly pitch did not make for a smooth, clinical performance from Liverpool, but goals from Wirtz, Trey Nyoni and Ngumoha sealed a 3-1 win after Yokohama’s Asahi Uenaka scored the opener.
It was the first time this pre-season that Arne Slot pushed players to the 60-minute mark, with a notable exception for new signing Ekitike, having arrived less than a week ago.
His first outing in the Liverpool red coincided with the final time the club will wear their Nike title-winning kit, with the Adidas deal coming into effect on Friday.
Wirtz dazzled with his spatial awareness and showed promising early signs of his link-up with Mohamed Salah, scoring a clinical goal to get the game back on level terms.
He was even handed an oversized cheque worth ¥1,000,000, which is equivalent to £5,000, after the game for being named Man of the Match.
Good luck fitting that in your hand baggage, Florian!
First of many (Man of the Match, not oversized cheques) for Wirtz, you expect!
It was then a moment for the club’s teenagers to shine after being introduced with 30 minutes left, and they were certainly not short on confidence!
Nyoni’s brilliantly timed run saw him get on the end of Jeremie Frimpong‘s cross, much to the delight of the thousands of Liverpool fans watching from the stands.
It was then Ngumoha’s turn after a show of individual brilliance, running straight at the opposition to make sure of the result for Liverpool – and with it earning plenty of praise for what he could offer moving forward.
It’s hard to believe he’s only 16 – the future is bright!
Wataru Endo received a hero’s welcome on his introduction onto the pitch, with Slot making sure he got his moment by making a single change.
Virgil van Dijk came off and put the armband on the Japan captain, who later went on to lift the J-League World Challenge trophy – his pride clear to see.
Liverpool’s pre-season now takes them back to Anfield for a double-header against Athletic Club on Monday before the Community Shield at Wembley.
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