Origi, Firmino score as Liverpool tops Milan in ICC friendly
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Some 5,000 miles from home, the sounds of "You'll Never Walk Alone," Liverpool FC's unofficial anthem, billowed from Levi's Stadium during warm-ups.
Fan support for one of the world's most popular sports teams was apparent throughout the night while Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino scored and Liverpool beat AC Milan 2-0 in an International Champions Cup exhibition game Saturday night at Levi's Stadium.
"It's all over the world and that shows what a big club it is," Liverpool midfielder James Milner said.
"It's great to come out all the way to the other side of America and be so far away from home, it shows that these guys are always supporting us."
Origi opened the scoring in the 59th minute off an assist from Alberto Moreno.
Firmino scored 14 minutes later on a sliding kick off a deflected pass from Sheyl Ojo.
Origi's goal followed a first half in which Liverpool put heavy pressure on AC Milan. The Reds outshot AC Milan 5-2, had five corner kicks to their opponent's one and had the only two blocks in the half.
"I'm pleased with our performance," Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp said, "especially in the first half.
"We passed and we passed and we passed until we were through. We created chances and we didn't score, of course we need to finish."
Origi broke Liverpool's scoreless streak of 104 minutes to start the tournament. The Reds were coming off a 1-0 loss to Premier League rival Chelsea FC. Their next game will be against FC Barcelona on Aug. 6 in London.
"Good performance for the boys," Milner said. "I think we dominated most of the game, we looked pretty sharp. Obviously it's still preseason and obviously results don't mean too much but it was nice to get win."
Milan goalkeeper Gabriel Vasconcelos Ferreira had three saves.
"Very happy that we've been able to play this tournament with high-level teams," Milan coach Vincenzo Montella said through a translator. "I'm satisfied with what the players did, they did what was asked of them. Although the outcome was a loss, there are still many positives to take out of this."
Milan will play Chelsea FC on Aug. 3 in Minneapolis.
The July 22-Aug. 13 exhibition tournament features 17 teams playing on four continents; 10 in the United States and Europe, three in China and four in Australia.