(Football news) LASK Linz’s 3-0 victory over Union SG would have guaranteed the Reds a first-place finish with nine points from nine in the section, if they won.

Two weeks after destroying Les Violets 5-1, though, Liverpool were stunned in France by Aron Donnum, Thijs Dallinga, and Frank Magri, who made Cristian Casseres Jr.’s own goal and Diogo Jota’s strike insignificant, condemning Jurgen Klopp’s team to their first continental defeat of the new season. There was a good amount of late drama as a last-gasp Jarell Quansah goal was disallowed.

Just before the match began, encouraging news came out of Colombia: Luis Diaz’s father had been freed 12 days after being abducted with his wife by the rebel group ELN.

In a new-look assault led by Ben Doak and Cody Gakpo, Diaz started for the first time for the Reds since his parents’ ordeal. Four minutes in, Diaz’s inswinging free kick found Joe Gomez, who with his back to goal, flicked a header onto the bar.

The first half saw Klopp’s men dominate possession of the ball, however Guillaume Restes was not given much of a task until the 31st minute when Doak stung the palms of his fellow teenager with a close-range volley.

Toulouse, however, needed just one chance—and one error—to stun their Merseyside rivals. Five minutes after Doak was foiled, Donnum advanced into the area, let loose, and saw his strike deceive Caoimhin Kelleher via a slight deflection off of Quansah, robbing a dawdling Kostas Tsimikas of the ball on the left.

Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Mohamed Salah were all introduced by Klopp in a triple substitution during the half, but the changes had little effect on the Reds’ appetite.

Gabriel Suazo wasted a fantastic opportunity to extend Toulouse’s lead three minutes after the restart, shooting wide from ten yards out. Dallinga was then called for a foul on Joel Matip, and he finished the goal.

When Diaz was crowded out on the wing and Vincent Sierro sent in a wonderful cross for Dallinga, who took a touch before unleashing a wicked low effort across

Kelleher’s goal in the 58th minute, the Dutch marksman, however, was not to be denied by the linesman’s flag.

Donnum’s goal in the 65th minute nearly put Liverpool in even worse shape, but the offside flag was raised against assister Niklas Schmidt because Matip and Quansah were far too late to react as Dallinga positioned himself.

Although Klopp’s team unexpectedly returned to the game in the 73rd minute, Liverpool had no complaints over the score. Gomez had headed Alexander-Arnold’s cross-goal to the back stick, causing a mid-air scuffle in which the ball eventually deflected into the net off of Casseres Jr.’s shoulder.

But three minutes later, Toulouse doubled their advantage thanks to a first-time finish from Magri after Kelleher had palmed Suazo’s low cross out of Dallinga’s path. Liverpool’s awful defending eventually came back to haunt them.

The visitors did manage to set up a suspenseful finish in the 89th minute when Jota, assisted by Alexis Mac Allister, broke free from the Toulouse defense and skillfully finished in the bottom corner to cut the lead in half.
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