ReactionRio Ngumoha: The way Anfield roars... it's crazy and it's special
“The way it roars… Anfield is special,” beamed Rio Ngumoha after aiding a Liverpool victory on his first Champions League start.
The 18-year-old was named in Andoni Iraola’s XI for Wednesday night’s league-phase opener against Atletico Madrid.
The Reds had to come from goal behind, with Marcos Llorente putting the visiting side in front during the first half.
Dominik Szoboszlai equalised and then Alexis Mac Allister whacked in a winner that came after incisive dribbling from Ngumoha on the left troubled Atletico.
It all made for a successful beginning to the European campaign and Ngumoha relished the atmosphere surrounding the action.
“It was crazy,” he told Liverpoolfc.com post-match. “To be fair, I remember it last year when Virg [van Dijk] got the winner. It’s exactly the same.
“The way it roars… I’ve never heard anything like it. Anfield is special.
“It was a good game, good to get the three points in the first game of the Champions League. The crowd was amazing, Anfield was roaring.”
It was already the third occasion in the fledgling season that Liverpool have retrieved a result from a deficit.
Ngumoha explained how that never-give-in attitude is being demanded and implanted by head coach Iraola.
“We know as a team we have a lot of fight, especially under the new gaffer now. He drives the fight within us,” said the forward.
“We saw the courage second half, first half as well, Dom’s goal to get it back. Then in the second half we just came out flying and saw the result through, so it was good.”
Ngumoha featured for an hour of the match and revealed the mindset he adopted for his full debut in the prestigious competition.
“The manager knows I’m good at attacking but to play you have to be good at defending as well, or you just have to work hard,” he said.
“That’s what he wants from me. I’m pleased that the gaffer put faith in me and I just wanted to prove to him and prove to myself that I could play at this level.
“It was a good game.”