Bradley Barcola hat-trick: first Liverpool goals in 6-3 Champions League win at LASK
Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick, his first goals for Liverpool, in a 6-3 Champions League win at LASK, becoming the club's first hat-trick scorer since Luis Díaz in 2024.
Bradley Barcola has finally opened his Liverpool account, and he did it in style. The France winger scored a hat-trick as Liverpool beat LASK 6-3 in Linz on Wednesday 14 October 2026, on matchday 2 of the Champions League league phase. The three goals were his first for the club after a slow start following his move from Paris Saint-Germain, and according to The Analyst they made him Liverpool's first hat-trick scorer in any competition since Luis Díaz against Bayer Leverkusen in November 2024. This Bradley Barcola hat-trick report covers how the goals came, the records set in Austria and what the win means for Liverpool.
Bradley Barcola hat-trick: three goals in Linz
Liverpool took the lead in the 22nd minute through Ronald Araújo, and Barcola wasted no time building on it. Within 96 seconds of the opener he had scored his first Liverpool goal, ending a wait that had begun to draw attention since his move from PSG. His second came in the 37th minute, finishing a pass from Florian Wirtz, as the visitors took control of the contest.
The hat-trick was completed midway through the second half. Jeremie Frimpong delivered the cross and Barcola converted it to make the score 5-1, sealing the match ball and, in effect, the result. According to The Analyst, it was the first senior hat-trick of his career, arriving on his 206th appearance.
Barcola's night by the numbers
- 3 goals: his first for Liverpool (The Analyst).
- 96 seconds: the gap between Araújo's 22nd-minute opener and Barcola's first goal.
- 37': his second goal, assisted by Florian Wirtz.
- 5-1: the score after his third, from a Jeremie Frimpong cross.
- 206: senior appearances before his first career hat-trick (The Analyst).
- November 2024: the last Liverpool hat-trick before this one, by Luis Díaz against Leverkusen (The Analyst).
LASK vs Liverpool: a record-breaking night
Barcola's treble was the headline, but the match produced several notable numbers for Liverpool. The Analyst reports that the Reds had 19 shots in the first half, the most by an away team in a Champions League first half on record. The six goals also made it Liverpool's highest-scoring European match since the 2001 UEFA Cup final, the famous 5-4 win over Alavés in Dortmund that completed a cup treble under Gérard Houllier.
Alongside Barcola and Araújo, Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also got on the scoresheet for Liverpool. LASK, playing their first-ever Champions League home game, refused to fold: Robert Ljubicic scored once and Florian Flecker twice for the Austrian side. According to Yalla Shoot data, Flecker now has three goals in the competition, which puts him among the early leaders in the Champions League scoring chart.
blue Sport described the evening as a clear defeat for Linz in their historic first home game at this level. For the Austrian club, the occasion was a milestone regardless of the scoreline, but the gap in quality was evident whenever Liverpool broke forward.
| Liverpool scorers | LASK scorers |
|---|---|
| Ronald Araújo (22') | Robert Ljubicic |
| Bradley Barcola (hat-trick, including 37') | Florian Flecker (2) |
| Jeremie Frimpong | |
| Lewis Koumas |
What the win means for Liverpool
The result could hardly have been better timed. Liverpool travelled to Austria on the back of a 3-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester City, and the six-goal response restored some confidence. In the Champions League, Liverpool now have maximum points. According to Yalla Shoot's Champions League standings, updated on 16 October, they are fifth on six points with eight goals scored and four conceded, one of nine clubs still perfect after two rounds. LASK are 33rd with no points.
The domestic picture is more complicated. Our data shows Liverpool ninth in the Premier League with nine points from six matches, nine points behind leaders Manchester City. Alexander Isak leads the club's league scoring with four goals. If Barcola can carry his European form into the Premier League, he gives the coaching staff another reliable source of goals from wide areas at a moment when the team needs points.
Barcola in the Champions League scoring race
The hat-trick also lifts Barcola straight into the competition's scoring chart. According to Yalla Shoot data, which counts qualifying-round goals as well, he has three goals from two appearances, one behind the group on four that includes Erling Haaland of Manchester City, Ermedin Demirović of VfB Stuttgart and Nicolò Tresoldi of Club Brugge. Harry Kane and Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé are among the other players on three. For a winger who had not scored for his new club before Wednesday, it is a dramatic change of fortune.
Background: Barcola's road to Anfield
Barcola came through the academy at Lyon before joining PSG in 2023, where he developed into a France international winger known for his pace and direct running. His move to Liverpool raised expectations, but the early weeks were quiet in front of goal, which made the timing of this hat-trick especially welcome. Combining with Wirtz and Frimpong, he looked far more at ease in Linz than in his previous outings.
Liverpool, six-time European champions, have a long tradition of big nights on the continent, and a hat-trick in the Champions League is the kind of performance that can change a new signing's trajectory. For Barcola, the challenge now is consistency.
What's next for Barcola and Liverpool
Liverpool return to Premier League action needing to climb the table after the City defeat, and Barcola will hope his first goals for the club mark the start of a productive run. In Europe, two wins from two leave the Reds well placed in the race for the top eight. Follow Liverpool's next fixtures and live scores on our matches page.