Liverpool break Champions League scoring record

Liverpool’s prolific attack in the Champions League this season has been fearsome and now it is also record-breaking.

The Reds entered the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Roma needing one goal to equal the all-time mark in the competition for most goals scored, held by the 1999-2000 Barcelona side that scored 45 goals in 16 games.

The fact Roma had held opponents scoreless at the Stadio Olimpico might have been daunting to some, but Liverpool did not need much time to become the first team to accomplish that feat.

Sadio Mane’s opener nine minutes into the contest equaled the mark of the La Liga giants. And Georginio Wijnaldum’s goal, which made it 2-1, secured the record for the Reds, which includes qualifying, group and the knockout stages of the competition.

Liverpool actually managed to top the record in just 14 games. Real Madrid’s 13-14 team is third having played only 13 games, but they only scored 41 times. Fourth place Manchester United needed 16 games to get to 37, while last year’s title winning-Madrid side scored 36 goals in 13 games.

If you exclude qualifying, Liverpool now is up to 40 goals on the campaign. They are the third team to have managed that feat, behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. While Barcelona’s does not include qualifying, it came back when the Champions League had two group stages.

The Liverpool vs Roma tie also set a new Champions League mark as the highest-scoring semi-final of all time with 13 goals between the teams over two legs, with Roma taking a 4-2 win in the second leg. 

Despite the loss, Liverpool will get the chance to at least equal, if not surpass, last year's Madrid side when they face the current version in this year's Champions League Final, May 26 in Kiev.