Image Credits: Imago Images
The French winger, who joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial £106million rising to £123m, went down just before the hour mark after appearing to injure his left calf.
Barcola received treatment before being replaced by Victor Munoz. It was his first Liverpool start after making a 26-minute cameo against Ipswich Town in the Premier League last Friday.
The injury came just minutes after Barcola missed a golden opportunity to put Liverpool ahead, firing wide after being played through by Florian Wirtz.
Atletico had taken the lead through Marcos Llorente before Dominik Szoboszlai equalised for Liverpool in the 40th minute. Llorente’s goal was his 10th in the Champions League, with five of those coming against Liverpool at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister scored the winner as Liverpool began their Champions League campaign with a victory over Atletico Madrid.
Providing an injury update on Barcola, Andoni Iraola told TNT Sports said after the game: “No, just cramps, especially with Bradley.
“We are kind of rushing him a little bit. We wanted him there, but at the end we decided to say give us what you have then that’s the most he has. Let’s see how they recover for the next one.”
Andoni Iraola’s side opened the new league phase with three points and will next face Austrian side LASK away from home next month.
Iraola added: “Difficult to ask for more. I think we have shown big character, especially the players after a difficult start.
“I loved it – the atmosphere has been incredible and I feel lucky to experience it. I think I have to take blame from the beginning because they surprised me a little bit tactically they played a five at the back – a 5-3-2.
“We expected something different and waited to correct it. After half-time, we had a much better game, we pressed better, and I think we have been a better team.”
Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free. You’ll get an uninterrupted browsing experience while helping us continue to deliver the latest Liverpool news, breaking stories and exclusives. Go ad-free today.