Dominik Szoboszlai credited preparation and scouting for his inventive free-kick goal that set Liverpool on their way to a 3–0 Champions League win over Olympique Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome. The Hungarian midfielder opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime with a strike that blended technique, awareness and tactical homework.
Awarded a free kick just outside the box, Szoboszlai opted against the conventional route of shooting over the wall. Instead, he fired the ball low and underneath the jumping Marseille defenders, with goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli unable to react in time. The moment caught the hosts off guard and swung the match firmly in Liverpool’s favour heading into the interval.
Speaking post-match, Szoboszlai explained that the move was pre-planned rather than improvised. He revealed that staff had advised him to go low if Marseille failed to deploy a player behind the wall, a now common counter to such attempts. Spotting the absence of that safeguard, he executed the shot exactly as briefed.
“I did my homework and got told that if no one is lying down, maybe I can have a chance to hit it under the wall,” he said in his post-match interview, adding that the window opened and he simply took it.
Liverpool built on the breakthrough to secure a comprehensive away victory, strengthening their position in the group and continuing their strong European form. The goal also highlighted Szoboszlai’s growing influence in set-piece scenarios, underlining both his technical range and his attention to detail.
