Mohamed Salah Etches His Name Alongside Champions League's Greatest Goal Scorers

Mohamed Salah quickly got off the mark in this season's Champions League campaign during Liverpool's inaugural league phase match against Atlético Madrid.

The Egyptian forward had two early opportunities to make his mark from the opening whistle when Liverpool earned a free kick just outside the penalty area. Salah delivered a threatening left-footed strike into the box that deflected off Andrew Robertson before finding its way past Jan Oblak. The rapid sequence initially appeared to be an own goal due to the deflection, but the Scottish defender was awarded the goal with Salah earning the assist.

Just two minutes afterward, Salah left no doubt as he found the net from long range for his second contribution of the match. This strike marked Salah's 48th Champions League career goal, placing him level with both Andriy Shevchenko and Zlatan Ibrahimović in 12th position on the all-time list.

The Egyptian star nearly added his 49th career goal in the 65th minute when his powerful shot struck the woodwork. As the campaign progresses, the Liverpool icon finds himself competing with Manchester City's Erling Haaland. Though they may meet later in the tournament, both Salah and Haaland are positioning themselves in the historical rankings.

Additionally, Kylian Mbappé is creating his own legacy after equaling Thomas Müller for sixth place earlier this week. With the expanded fixture list under the new league phase structure, many believe Cristiano Ronaldo's position as the competition's leading scorer faces potential challenges in upcoming seasons. Currently, Salah and Haaland are working to close the gap with the prolific Real Madrid forward while surpassing legends like Thierry Henry and Alfredo Di Stéfano.

Salah also made Champions League history by becoming the first player to both score and provide an assist within the opening six minutes for any English club, according to Opta. An immediate impact from one of football's elite performers.

Liverpool almost surrendered points during the evening after Marcos Llorente's double brought the Spanish club back into contention, but Virgil van Dijk came to the rescue in added time to claim all three points.

Regardless of the situation or tournament at the season's start, the Reds continue to find solutions, demonstrating their winning mindset.