Liverpool were still mired in mediocrity when Sadio Mane struck against serial champions of Europe. Not for them, admittedly. The runner-up in the Ballon d’Or contest scored some 800 miles further south, setting Bayern Munich on a course to victory over Barcelona.
Meanwhile, the man Liverpool signed as Mane’s replacement was not enjoying such a smooth start to his night. Darwin Nunez feels destined to be compared to two players: his predecessor and the summer’s other big striking signing, Erling Haaland. Each equates to a burden, because few reach the heights Mane and Haaland have scaled.
