Liverpool loses 3-2 at Toulouse in Europa League. Luis Diaz still has reason to celebrate
Thu, Nov 9, 2023
Soccer News (AP)
Liverpool's comeback fell short in a 3-2 loss at Toulouse in the Europa League on Thursday but it was still a victorious day for striker Luis Diaz.
Diaz's father was released hours before the match, 12 days after his kidnapping in northern Colombia by members of the guerrilla group National Liberation Army, or ELN.
Diaz had appealed for his father's release after scoring Sunday in a Premier League match, revealing a T-shirt saying "Freedom for Papa" in Spanish.
On Thursday, Diaz didn't score but still tested Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes with a low right-footed shot from outside the area in the first half.
Aron Donnum scored in the first half and Thijs Dallinga doubled the advantage just before the hour mark for the hosts, who lost 5-1 at Anfield two weeks ago.
An own goal from Cristian Casseres made it 2-1 in the 74th minute but Frank Magri quickly restored the two-goal lead.
Diogo Jota came on for Diaz in the 81st minute and scored eight minutes later. Liverpool thought its equalized in stoppage time but Jarell Quansah's goal was disallowed by VAR.
The game was Jurgen Klopp's 450th as manager for Liverpool.
Liverpool leads Group E with nine points from four games. Toulouse trails by two in second.
Leverkusen remained the last team with a perfect record after four games with a 1-0 victory at Qarabag in Group H. The Bundesliga leader reached the round of 16 after Victor Boniface scored the winner from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Brighton scored early in each half to beat Ajax in Amsterdam 2-0 for its second straight win after defeating the struggling Dutch powerhouse by the same score two weeks ago.
Forward Ansu Fati gave the Seagulls the lead against the run of play amid Ajax's early dominance.
Simon Adingra doubled it on a counter-attack to give Brighton a provisional two-point lead in Group B ahead of Marseille, which was facing AEK Athens later Thursday.
Slavia beat Roma 2-0 in Prague, handing Jose Mourinho's team its first defeat. Vaclav Jurecka and Lukas Masopust netted second-half goals for Slavia to tie Roma atop Group G with nine points each.
ISRAELI TEAMS
Two Israeli clubs returned to action in UEFA competitions after being unable to play two weeks ago because of the country's war with Hamas.
Villarreal rallied in the second half to defeat Maccabi Haifa 2-1 in a Europa League game played in Cyprus.
The teams could not play in Spain on Oct. 26 and that game has been rescheduled for Dec. 6.
Maccabi Tel Aviv was facing Zorya Luhansk of Ukraine later Thursday in a Europa Conference League game staged in the Polish city if Lublin between two teams displaced by war.
Ukrainian teams have played international games in other countries since the Russian military invasion started in February 2022.
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AP soccer: apnews.com/hub/soccer
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