Internationals

International Round-up

From the Kop to the Copa America, Bobby Firmino and Alisson enjoyed a successful summer with Brazil, but there was to be heartbreak for Sadio Mané in the African Cup of Nations...

Roberto Firmino and Alisson added another medal to their collections as they won the 2019 CONMEBOL Copa America with Brazil thanks to a 3-1 victory over Peru in the final. Remarkably is was the first time Brazil had won the tournament since 2007, but with home advantage the Selecao went all the way with their Liverpool FC players making significant contributions.

Alisson kept five clean sheets in six games with the only goal he conceded being a Paolo Guerrero penalty in the final. That earned him the title of CONMEBOL Copa America Best Goalkeeper and his third Golden Gloves award of the season, having also won the same award in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

It means the Liverpool FC goalkeeper is the first footballer in history to win three Golden Gloves awards in the same season, a campaign which ended with him keeping 36 clean sheets in 62 games for club and country, conceding only 36 goals and winning both the UEFA Champions League and CONMEBOL Copa America. And this is without mentioning his penalty save to help Brazil beat Paraguay in a shoot-out in the quarter-final.

Firmino missed his spot-kick in that penalty shoot-out – a game in which Paraguay's Fabian Balbuena was sent off for fouling Bobby – but also had an excellent tournament, scoring twice.

His first was a trademark 'no-look finish' in a 5-0 group stage victory against Peru and he netted his 12th international goal in the semi-final as Tite's side beat Lionel Messi's Argentina 2-0. Firmino also topped the assists charts, alongside Chile's Charles Aranguiz, with a total of three.

“I wrote them a message immediately after the game,” said LFC boss Jürgen Klopp when asked about their Copa America success. “I was sent a couple of videos, voice messages and stuff like that. They had a good time.

“It’s nice, it’s really nice, to see them celebrating again when you see the pictures after the game how the whole of Brazil [celebrated]. It reminded me immediately of our little celebration four or five weeks ago!”

Sadio Mané also reached another cup final in the Total 2019 African Cup of Nations with Senegal, but the Liverpool FC forward couldn't add another winners' medal to his collection as Algeria emerged triumphant with a 1-0 win in Cairo.

Mané netted three goals in the tournament – two against Kenya in the group stage and the winner in the last 16 against Uganda – to finish as joint-second leading goalscorer and made the CAF Team of the Tournament.

Mo Salah was also on target twice for Egypt during the group stage, scoring against Uganda and DR Congo, but the host nation suffered a shock last 16 defeat to South Africa in front of a crowd of 75,000 in the Cairo International Stadium.

In the UEFA Nations League finals in Portugal, Anfield team-mates Virgil van Dijk, Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson came up against each other when the Netherlands met England in the semi-final. A 3-1 win for the Dutch sent them through to final, but host nation Portugal clinched the silverware with a 1-0 victory having beaten Xherdan Shaqiri's Switzerland 3-1 in the semi-final.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez also appeared in the tournament for England, starting in the Third Place play-off against Switzerland, a match Shaqiri also featured in for the Swiss, but had to be substituted in the 65th minute with a calf injury that has disrupted his Pre-Season with Liverpool FC. It finished 0-0, England winning on penalties.