Hong Kong witnessed a high-scoring pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 26, 2025, as Liverpool succumbed to a 4-2 defeat against AC Milan at the Kai Tak Stadium. The match, played in front of a record crowd of 49,704, offered plenty of talking points, including the highly anticipated debut of Liverpool’s new £116 million signing, Florian Wirtz, and a poignant tribute to the late Diogo Jota.
AC Milan opened the scoring in the 10th minute through a superb strike from Rafael Leão, who beat Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker from a tight angle. Leão’s celebration was a touching tribute to his former Portugal teammate and Liverpool star, Diogo Jota, as he signaled Jota’s No. 20 shirt number and offered a moment of prayer. This was followed by a stadium-wide applause in the 20th minute to honor Jota, who tragically passed away at the age of 28. Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish also laid a wreath pitchside before kick-off, and the club announced a ‘Forever 20’ emblem would be printed on their new Adidas kits, set for release on August 1 (Daily Mail, Liverpool.com).
Liverpool found an equalizer in the 26th minute with a stunning long-range effort from Dominik Szoboszlai, set up by the impressive 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha. Despite Liverpool dominating possession with 68.4% of the ball and firing 18 shots to Milan’s 10, it was the Italian side that proved far more clinical. Milan converted eight shots on target into four goals, repeatedly punishing Liverpool on the break (Daily Mail, ESPN).
AC Milan restored their lead early in the second half through Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the 52nd minute, following another slick counter-attack orchestrated by Rafael Leão. Noah Okafor then extended Milan’s advantage with a confident first-time finish in the 59th minute, capitalizing on Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities during transitions. Okafor sealed his brace and Milan’s victory in stoppage time (90’+4′) with a comical goal, rolling the ball into an empty net after Liverpool’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was caught stranded near the halfway line while chasing an equalizer. Cody Gakpo managed to pull one back for Liverpool in the 90’+3′ with a clever header, but it was too little, too late (Daily Mail).
For Liverpool, the match offered a first glimpse of Florian Wirtz, who started as the most advanced player and impressed with his silky skills and clever footwork (Liverpool.com). Youngsters Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni (also 16) also caught the eye with their confident performances. However, defensive concerns emerged for Arne Slot’s side, with the team repeatedly exposed on transitions. The absence of Joe Gomez, who flew home with a minor Achilles injury, highlighted Liverpool’s thin defensive options, with Ryan Gravenberch even trialed at center-back in the first half (Daily Mail). Notably, new £79 million signing Hugo Ekitike was left out of the squad, as were Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, sparking speculation about their futures amidst transfer interest (Daily Mail).
Despite the defeat, the match provided valuable insights for Arne Slot as Liverpool continues its pre-season tour, with upcoming fixtures against Yokohama F.Marinos in Japan and Athletic Bilbao at Anfield before the Community Shield clash against Crystal Palace on August 10 (Yahoo Sports).
