Florian Wirtz netted his first goal for Liverpool as the Reds wrapped up their pre-season tour of Asia with a 3-1 victory against Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan on Wednesday.
The German playmaker equalised just after the hour mark at Nissan Stadium, where the hosts had taken an early second-half lead through Asahi Uenaka.
The Premier League champions — featuring the debut of Hugo Ekitike and the first pre-season appearance of Alexis Mac Allister — then stepped up their game.
Trey Nyoni quickly put Liverpool ahead, and Rio Ngumoha sealed the win with a late goal in front of more than 67,000 supporters.
Liverpool dominated much of the first half but struggled to find a clinical finish early on. Cody Gakpo struck the post with a low curling shot following a strong surge from Conor Bradley, and Wirtz’s effort from just outside the box was deflected wide.
Mohamed Salah, as usual, was the creative heartbeat of the team. His precise first-time pass over the top released Gakpo, who couldn’t get a clean shot under pressure from a defender.
Another intelligent ball from Salah — following a trademark pinpoint switch of play from Virgil van Dijk — found Dominik Szoboszlai making a deep run. However, the No. 8 was unable to round the goalkeeper.
Hugo Ekitike’s clever flick was saved by Il-Gyu Park as Liverpool continued to press, but it was goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili who kept the Reds level at half-time with some crucial saves.
Yokohama threatened on the break when Jun Amano directed a header towards the bottom corner, which Mamardashvili tipped wide. Early in the second half, Darwin Nunez, who replaced Ekitike, missed a close-range volley from another excellent Salah assist.
Minutes later, Yokohama took the lead as Ren Kato’s precise pass set up Uenaka, who finished calmly.
To the delight of the home crowd, Liverpool manager Arne Slot brought on Japan captain Wataru Endo from the bench, and shortly after, Liverpool were back on level terms.
Curtis Jones won possession near halfway and drove forward, linking up with Salah. The Egyptian’s return pass found Wirtz, who confidently slotted home his first goal in a Liverpool shirt.
Following nine further substitutions — leaving Mamardashvili as the only starter on the pitch — Liverpool took the lead when Nyoni acrobatically finished Jeremie Frimpong’s cross to the back post.
Another young talent, Ngumoha, capped off the victory by driving forward and calmly beating the goalkeeper with a low finish late in the game.
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