Galatasaray vs Liverpool Review
Victor Osimhen scored the winning goal as Galatasaray defeated Liverpool 1-0 in Istanbul, earning the hosts their first points of this season’s UEFA Champions League and handing Liverpool their second consecutive loss across all competitions. After experiencing their first Premier League defeat of the season in an away match against Crystal Palace, Liverpool might have hoped for an easier next game than a challenging trip to the passionate Rams Park to face Galatasaray. Any doubts were quickly dispelled in the opening minutes, as Alisson had to make a crucial save against Barış Yılmaz in a one-on-one situation, signaling a tough match ahead for the Reds.
Just over ten minutes later, the Liverpool goalkeeper was preparing to face a penalty from Osimhen after Yılmaz went down following a challenge from makeshift right-back Dominik Szoboszlai, only moments after Cody Gakpo had a shot cleared off the line at the other end of the field. Osimhen made no mistake with his penalty, striking it firmly down the center to score his sixth goal in as many games against English teams. Florian Wirtz threatened to respond quickly when he forced a diving save from Uğurcan Çakır, but overall, Liverpool had little reason to complain about the halftime score after a first half filled with errors.
Another careless moment after the break allowed Osimhen to intercept a poor pass and sprint forward to shoot at Alisson, who unfortunately suffered a game-ending injury while making the save. Consequently, Arne Slot had to bring on Giorgi Mamardashvili for his first Champions League appearance, shortly before the Liverpool manager returned to the bench to introduce Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley, and the influential Mohamed Salah in an effort to get back into the game.
Liverpool kept struggling against Galatasaray’s resolute defense and seemed to get a break when referee Clément Turpin awarded a penalty late in the game. However, after a VAR review, the decision against Wilfried Singo was reversed. The eight minutes of added time that followed weren’t enough for Liverpool, who have now lost their last three away head-to-head matches. They face a trip to Chelsea this weekend with concerns to address after suffering their second consecutive defeat.
