Pre-seasonGoals, wins and great memories - Liverpool's previous visits to Singapore
Liverpool's pre-season preparations for 2023-24 will include a trip to Singapore.
The Reds face Leicester City on Sunday July 30, aiming to retain the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy that they won by beating Crystal Palace last year.
They will then meet Bayern Munich on Wednesday August 2, with both games taking place at the National Stadium. If they defeat the German champions, Jürgen Klopp’s side can claim the Singapore Trophy, presented by Audi and Standard Chartered Bank.
The club has a huge following in Singapore and has played in the country several times in the past. Here’s a look back at previous visits…
2001
Two months to the day after beating Alaves 5-4 to win the UEFA Cup for the third time, Gerard Houllier’s side played a Singapore League Select XI at the National Stadium.
It was their second game of the summer, and they followed their opening 3-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen with a 2-0 victory.
As it was early in pre-season, a different XI played in each half. The Reds’ top two scorers from their treble-winning season had scored against Leverkusen and they did so again in this match.
In the 41st minute, a Nick Barmby cross was headed home by Emile Heskey to give Liverpool the lead.
The second half then became the Michael Owen show. He blazed over the crossbar from close range, hit the woodwork and then pounced to score after the goalkeeper failed to hold a shot from Patrik Berger.
2009
The result was more emphatic eight years later, with Rafael Benitez’s Reds winning 5-0, again at the National Stadium against a Singapore League Select XI.
On this occasion it was not a straight friendly, with the victors claiming the Merlion Cup. Nonetheless, Liverpool used even more players than the previous game, with 24 men getting time on the pitch.
Despite the final scoreline, the Reds didn’t break the deadlock until first-half stoppage time.
Ukrainian striker Andriy Voronin opened the scoring from about 25 yards out with a deflected effort, before Albert Riera, Fernando Torres and a brace from 20-year-old forward Krisztian Nemeth added four after the break.
Arguably the star was Dirk Kuyt, though. The Dutchman came off the bench in the 61st minute and assisted all three goals thereafter.
2011
Liverpool didn’t actually play a match in Singapore in 2011, but after a planned trip to Korea was cancelled, they stopped off for a training session.
Standard Chartered invited 3,000 fans to watch their heroes get put through their paces as Sir Kenny Dalglish prepared his side for a season in which they would later win the League Cup.
2022
Singapore-based Liverpool supporters then had to wait 11 years for their next glimpse of the Reds in their country last summer.
They certainly got to see plenty of players as 32 members of Klopp’s squad featured in the match. Just as had occurred on Liverpool’s first visit to the country, a goal in either half gave them a 2-0 win, this time against Palace.
In the 12th minute, Harvey Elliott cut the ball back from near the byline towards the edge of the penalty box, where Jordan Henderson was on hand to fire a shot past Vicente Guaita.
For the second goal, Mohamed Salah cut into the box from the right, as he so often does, before hitting a shot that made its way beyond Guaita.
Those finishes secured the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy for the Reds in front of more than 50,000 fans.
Inside Singapore: Liverpool 2-0 Palace
This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.