Liverpool Held to Draw by Como in Memorable Friendly

At the AXA Training Centre, a strong Liverpool XI were held to a 0-0 draw by Como in a 70-minute friendly that will be remembered far more for one grim incident than any attacking flourish.

Alexis Mac Allister, Federico Chiesa and Kostas Tsimikas all started for the Reds, underlining the quality on show in what was officially a pre-season workout but carried the edge of something more serious. Chances came and went without conviction, the final ball repeatedly letting Liverpool down against a disciplined Italian back line.

Then came the moment that changed the tone of the afternoon.

Como defender Dossena rose to contest an aerial ball with James McConnell and Will Wright, landed awkwardly, and immediately knew something was wrong. He had badly dislocated a finger. The damage was so stark that a close-up replay drew an instant apology from the LFCTV commentary team, who warned viewers about the graphic nature of the images.

For a few minutes, football stopped. Medical staff from Como rushed on, treated the 27-year-old on the pitch and bandaged the injured hand. It looked like the end of his day.

It wasn’t.

Strapped up and grim-faced, Dossena came back on for the closing stages, refusing to let the injury force him out of the contest. He saw out the final six minutes of the shortened match, marshalling his side’s defensive shape and helping Como see out a hard-earned clean sheet against a Liverpool side stacked with quality.

A goalless pre-season friendly rarely lingers in the memory. This one will, because a defender with a badly dislocated finger simply refused to leave the pitch.