Pre-season: Mane scores as Liverpool defeat Bologna

Liverpool’s preparations for the 2021-22 season are looking good after completing the double against Bologna on Thursday.

The English and Italian clubs played two matches, each lasting 60 minutes. In the first game, goals from Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota propelled the Reds to a 2-0 win against the Serie A outfit at the Camille Fournier Stadium.

Although, the Red and Blues showed promise after kick-off, they conceded the first goal in the sixth minute.

Portugal international Jota pressed impressively high up, beats his marker before unleashing a calm shot past goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.

The English elite division side doubled their advantage in the 12th minute through African star, Mane.

Profiting from a schoolboy error from a Bologna defender who attempted to play out of his position, the Senegal international won the ball and smashed it past Skorupski.

In the second half, the Italians explored all necessary avenues in their bid to get the equaliser, yet, their efforts were futile as Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold held sway in defence.

Mane, Salah, Naby Keita and Joel Matip were on parade from start to finish.

A few hours later, both teams slugged it out for the second match of the friendly staged at the same venue.

This time, Jurgen Klopp’s men were only able to triumph by a lone goal scored by Japan international Takumi Minamino in the 14th minute.

Having been excused from the initial tie, the former RB Leipzig star Ibrahima Konate was handed a starter’s shirt.

The France youth international of Malian descent held sway in the Reds backline alongside Joe Gomez, Neco Williams and Konstantinos Tsimikas.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s manager has expressed his delight with his team’s performances against Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men.

“Good. I liked obviously the way we scored the goals because they [the opponents] lost the ball easy – I don’t think it was easy, it was just we forced them,” Klopp told the club website.

“From that, we played really good football against a defensive-orientated team but I liked a lot of things. Always when we kept the ball, when we had the right speed for our passing and kept them running, it looks really good.”