Thai All-Stars vs. Liverpool: Score and Reaction from 2015 Pre-Season Friendly

Liverpool got their pre-season tour off to a smooth start on Tuesday, as the Reds secured a comfortable 4-0 win over the True Thai All-Stars in Bangkok.  

Lazar Markovic, Mamadou Sakho, Adam Lallana and a very impressive Divock Origi got on the scoresheet for Liverpool, who also fielded new signings Adam Bogdan, Danny Ings, Joe Gomez, Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner in the friendly encounter.

Here are all of the players who were selected by manager Brendan Rodgers, courtesy of Liverpool’s official Twitter feed:

The Rajamangala Stadium was bathed in red and white for this one, with the Thai supporters conjuring a vibrant atmosphere for the men from Merseyside. Those fans getting a glimpse of their heroes didn’t have to wait long before seeing the first goal either, as Markovic opened the scoring inside three minutes.

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The midfielder broke forward into the box, and as we can see here, courtesy of 101 Great Goals, he rounded the ‘keeper to finish smartly:

It was an early sign of the gulf in class between these two teams, as Liverpool went about their play with consummate ease for the majority of the first half. Markovic was a threat throughout the opening 45 minutes, while Ings and youngster Joao Teixeira, who was back in action for the first time since suffering a broken ankle in February, also impressed.

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Football editor Melissa Reddy was pleased to see the Portuguese starlet, who threaded Markovic in for the opener, back in action:

Teixeira continued to probe against the ropey True Thai All-Stars, and a second goal looked inevitable for Liverpool. It should have come in the 24th minute when Ings headed in from a corner, but the new forward had his effort harshly ruled out. The Reds were able to double their advantage just before the break, though.

Francois Mori/Associated Press/Associated Press

Again, it was an excellent piece of play from Teixeira, who fizzed in a deep corner to Sakho at the back post. The Frenchman leapt unchallenged to head home, although some of the defending left much to be desired from the home side.

Those players out for the first period would have been delighted when the half-time whistle went; not only is  the first game back a bit of a grueller, but the heavens opened in spectacular fashion at the interval, as noted here by James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:

But even some heavy rain couldn't halt the Reds players who went out for a paddle in the second half, as they added another goal within seven minutes of the restart.

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It was new skipper Jordan Henderson who instigated the move, floating a delightful rabona pass into the path of Lallana. The England man took the ball smoothly in his stride, and as we can see here, courtesy of Anfield HQ, he finished very well:

The rain continued to tumble down, and coupled with the clear rustiness of some of the players, the second half didn't make for the most gripping spectacle. Origi, making his first appearance in the iconic all red, was looking lively, though, and he struck the post with a fierce drive in the 68th minute.

Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press

The Belgian grew into the match as the Thai All-Star players toiled on a heavy pitch, and after playing in Milner in the second half, who was denied by a last-ditch block, Origi hit the post for the second time in eight minutes following another defensive error from the hosts.

Pearce commented on what was an encouraging debut for the 20-year-old:

Eventually, the young forward got the goal his play deserved in the 88th minute. Once again, a Liverpool player was able to escape their marker from a set piece, as the Belgian planted a header past the All-Star goalkeeper from Henderson's corner to complete the scoring for the day. 

Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press

A win will give these players something of a confidence boost, and the 50,000-strong crowd who turned up to back the Reds would have been delighted to have seen some goals. But for Rodgers, integrating new faces and building relationships between unfamiliar faces would have been the main priority here, and it will continue to be so throughout the tour.

It’s early days yet, but there was some encouraging linkup between the new players—Ings initially and then Origi, in particular—while the first-half performance of Teixeira will certainly offer Rodgers food for thought moving forward.

Reaction to follow.