Liverpool 5-2 Roma: Champions League highlights and recap

Liverpool beat Roma 5-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday, April 24. Here are all the highlights from the match.

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Liverpool beat Roma 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday, thanks to two goals each from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino and one from Sadio Mane. The Reds took a huge step toward making it to the final, but late goals from Edin Dzeko and Perotti give Roma a sliver of hope.

Roma started the match better. Their press forced back Liverpool, who were restricted to a series of hopeful long balls in the direction of their front three, and they had the first good chance of the match in the 18th minute, when Aleksandar Kolarov drilled a powerful, swerving shot from distance that Loris Karius managed to tip onto the bar.

The Reds began to turn the match around following that chance, however, and opened the scoring in the 36th minute, Salah curling in off the crossbar from the right side of Roma’s penalty area. The Egyptian made it two on the stroke of halftime, chipping past Allison after good play from Roberto Firmino through the middle.

Liverpool began the second half with the same intensity they had ended the first, and punished Kolarov for pushing high and leaving Salah with space in behind. The Egyptian proved two assists, one for Firmino and one for Mane, in a five minute stretch early in the second half. When Firmino headed in a fifth, the tie seemed dead.

Roma refused to give up, and found a route back into the tie with two goals in the final 10 minutes. Edin Dzeko finished powerfully past Karius after finding space at the back post, before Perotti finished from the penalty spot following a James Milner handball. The goals may have been too little too late, but they ensure the second leg should be an exciting affair.

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Highlights

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The second leg will take place on May 2 at the Stadio Olimpico.