Liverpool Rising Star Reflects On Roma Loss

In the humid St. Louis heat, Liverpool ended their US summer tour on a clanger, losing to 2-1 to AS Roma at Busch Stadium. With the temperature topping out over 90°F/32°C, the referee made smart use of hydration breaks during both halves, but the humidity, even after sunset, must have made it very difficult to play.

One Reds' player who can take heart from his performance was the goalscorer, 19-year-old Sheyi Ojo, whose diving header briefly tied the game at the end of the first half. The impressive youngster spoke to the official website about the game, including the less-than-ideal playing conditions.

"It was disappointing to lose the game but there are a lot of positives to take from the game and our time out here," Ojo said. "It was very tough, very humid and the pitch wasn’t the best - but that’s not an excuse. We will assess the game and look forward to the next one.

"There have been a lot of positives to take from each game. The team have responded really well and everyone has got along well with each other and everyone is getting fitter which is the main thing. We are all looking forward to the start of the season now."

Regarding his goal, Ojo said: "Dejan headed the ball across, I just assumed he was going to do that and luckily for me I was there to head it into the net. The most important thing is the team and everyone got fitter and we are getting stronger and looking forward to the new season."

It's not yet known whether Klopp will choose to keep Ojo at Liverpool this season or send him out on loan for more experience, but either way, his pre-season has continued the good run of form he showed at the end of last season. The team's next game is back in England, taking on Barcelona at Wembley, and Ojo hopes to get another chance to make his case to Klopp.

"It would be nice to play against a team like that," he added, "but for me I’ve just to keep my head down and keep working hard in training and see what happens."