New York (AFP) – Liverpool won their second straight match under new coach Andoni Iraola as they beat Wrexham 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at Yankee Stadium in New York on Wednesday. Teenage forward Rio Ngumoha scored from close range in the 75th minute, greeted by a roar from a largely pro-Liverpool crowd of more than 42,000 at the famous baseball stadium, the home of the New York Yankees and Major League Soccer’s New York City FC.
The victory followed a 4-2 win over Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday, Iraola’s first match in charge since the former Bournemouth manager replaced the sacked Arne Slot. That victory was marred by an injury to defender Joe Gomez, who was among the absentees Wednesday along with new signing Jeremy Jacquet and World Cup players Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz, and Alexander Isak.
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Iraola said before the game that the Netherlands’ Gravenberch, Germany’s Wirtz, and Sweden’s Isak could be back for the final game of Liverpool’s US tour, against Leeds at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sunday.
Wrexham, on the rise in recent years under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, missed out on the second-tier Championship playoffs on the final day of last season. Phil Parkinson’s side arrived at Yankee Stadium after pre-season victories over Manchester United and Leeds.
© 2024 AFP
