Liverpool won both matches within... 5 hours

Gakpo scores to help Liverpool beat Bilbao

At 11:00 p.m. on August 4, Vietnam time, Liverpool will take on Bilbao. Then, just 3 hours later, also at Anfield, the club will play the "return leg" against their Spanish opponents. Two matches taking place in just 5 hours is a rare thing in the world of professional football.

The reason The Kop came up with that bold idea is because they want to quickly review the squad before the new season. This club starts the 2025/26 campaign earlier than many other teams (against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on August 10) so their preparation time is also more limited.

In that context, Liverpool boldly proposed to Bilbao that the two teams play two matches within 5 hours. And the Spanish club agreed. Both teams gave all players the opportunity to play before the new season, from official to reserve, welcoming more than 60,000 fans to watch.

In the first leg, Liverpool fielded a reserve team. Elliott, MacAllister, Nunez and Robertson were the few familiar faces to start. The club led Bilbao 4-0 after 60 minutes. In the 76th minute, the Spanish opponents scored a consolation goal and the score was set at 4-1.

In the “return leg” at 02:00 this morning, both teams used their strongest forces. Salah, Gakpo, Ekitike… helped Liverpool’s attack line continuously besiege the opponent. In the first 15 minutes, this club continuously shot and in the 14th minute, they opened the score with a simple kick into the corner of Salah’s net.

But the defense was negligent, causing The Kop to be tied early. In the 29th minute, no one was marking Sancet, allowing him to easily score. The first half ended 1-1. The second half, from the 55th to the 70th minute, was Gakpo's show. He scored 2 goals for the home team and also scored 1 goal for the away team with a shot into his own net in the 65th minute.

The match ended 3-2. Liverpool won both matches in 5 hours against Bilbao. Last year, they also played 2 matches on the same day against Sevilla and Las Palmas. Each match had a different lineup but it was only a practice match. This year, the club brought 2 top shows to more than 60,000 spectators in 5 hours at Anfield.