Liverpool’s newest signing, Florian Wirtz, has officially opened his account for the Reds, scoring his first goal in a friendly match against Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan. The match, which took place at the Nissan Stadium, saw Liverpool come from behind to win 3-1. Wirtz’s goal was a crucial equalizer, slotted home with a right-foot shot from inside the box after latching onto a pass from Mohamed Salah. The German international expressed his delight after scoring his first goal, saying, “I am really happy that I could score my first goal. I hope there are more to come.”
The friendly match marked a significant occasion for Liverpool, with over 65,000 fans in attendance. The team’s new signing, Hugo Ekitike, also made his debut, joining from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported £69 million. Despite the win, Liverpool manager Arne Slot wasn’t entirely pleased with his team’s performance, highlighting the number of missed chances. “It could be with a tough training camp and it could be with the heat circumstances,” Slot said, “But that’s something that we definitely have to improve.”
The match was also notable for being Liverpool’s first-ever game on Japanese soil, and the team dedicated the win to the late Diogo Jota with an emotional tribute before kickoff. Wirtz’s teammates, including Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha, also scored, with Nyoni volleying home a cross from Jeremie Frimpong and Ngumoha dribbling past several defenders before firing in a shot from the edge of the box.
