Galatasaray claimed a 1-0 victory against Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie at Rams Park on Tuesday. The decisive moment arrived in the seventh minute. Midfielder Gabriel Sara delivered a corner kick from the left flank.
Victor Osimhen rose to meet the ball, heading it across the face of the goal. Midfielder Mario Lemina then forced the ball into the net from close range, giving the Turkish side an early lead.
Liverpool pushed for an equaliser following the restart. Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister struck a shot just wide of the post shortly after the break. The match descended into a frantic pace as both teams saw goals disallowed. Galatasaray had a strike from Victor Osimhen ruled out for offside just past the hour mark.
Liverpool then thought they had levelled the tie when defender Ibrahima Konaté scored from a corner, but officials disallowed the goal after reviewing a handball in the buildup. Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitiké also missed a late one-on-one opportunity, allowing Galatasaray to hold on for the win.
Ahead of the match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot spoke about the challenging environment his team would face. He recalled the atmosphere from their previous group stage meeting in Istanbul. “These fans over here are very impressive,” Slot said.
“We noticed that when we played here. When you have the ball, the whistling is so loud, so loud! That was new for me and even for all of my experienced players.” The match marked Slot’s 100th game in charge of Liverpool.
