Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle took a snapshot of something you mightn’t expect to see at a quarter-final in a European competition.
The Reds’ under-19 side were in Portugal to take on their Sporting Lisbon counterparts in the UEFA Youth League, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat as they bowed out of the tournament.
As the teams warmed up prior to kick-off, the journalist tweeted an image of a tree behind one of the goals at the Estadio Aurélio Pereira in the Portuguese capital city.
It seems more like something which might be witnessed at an FA Cup tie against an opponent from the semi-professional ranks rather than at the quarter-final stage of a competition featuring some of the most precocious young footballers in Europe.
Suffice to say the nets being guarded by the two goalkeepers in Liverpool’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu tomorrow night will have a rather different backdrop behind them.
You can view the image from the UEFA Youth League game below, courtesy of @IanDoyleSport on Twitter:
There is a tree behind one of the goals here #LFC 🔴 pic.twitter.com/ku5rLzo5gN
— Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport) March 14, 2023