Rio Ngumoha announced himself to the world on Monday night, as the teenager struck at the death to seal a dramatic 3–2 victory for Liverpool at St. James’ Park.
In doing so, the 16-year-old became the Reds’ youngest-ever goalscorer in their 133-year history, having made his debut in a FA Cup tie against Accrington Stanley earlier this year. Then, Nguhoma established himself as Liverpool’s second-youngest appearance-maker.
The teenager re-emerged in preseason, with his standout performances rendering him impossible to ignore. Ngumoha lit up the Far East with his slick footwork and easy-on-the-eye fluency with which he plays. He scored in the 3–1 win against Yokohama F. Marinos, and continued his breakout summer with another excellent finish in a 4–1 rout of Athletic Club back at Anfield.
The conviction of his preseason strikes meant there was a split-second expectation when Dominik Szoboszlai’s genius dummy sold Tino Livramento a dream and allowed the teenager to pounce, that imminently, the subdued travelling contingent would be celebrating the potential birth of a superstar.
Rio didn’t let them down.
