Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League

• Turkish champions Galatasaray handed English Premier League champions Liverpool their second consecutive defeat of the season in Istanbul
• Arne Slot had decided to exclude Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak from his starting XI on Tuesday but was forced to bring them on after the hour mark as the Reds searched for an equalizer

The league phase of the UEFA Champions League resumed last night with several interesting fixtures, including Galatasaray vs Liverpool.

Turkish champions Galatasaray handed English Premier League champions Liverpool their second consecutive defeat of the season in Istanbul.

Victor Osimhen scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute from the penalty spot after Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai fouled Baris Alper Yilmaz in the box. The penalty came just barely 17 seconds after Davinson Sanchez had cleared the ball off the line to deny Cody Gakpo the goal.

The Turkish giants had the first big opportunity of the evening when Yilmaz found himself in a one on one position with the goalkeeper in the opening minutes of the game. However, Alisson reacted well to ensure the scores remained level. Unfortunately, he couldn’t deny the hosts from the spot as Osimhen sent him the wrong way.

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Liverpool had several chances afterwards but couldn’t take them. Galatasaray’s goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir made a brilliant save to deny Florian Wirtz as Milos Kerkez and Ibrahima Konate missed golden opportunities from separate corners.

Liverpool’s wastefulness continued after the break as Hugo Ekitike finish from close range was kept out by Cakir. Konate then gave a poor pass to Ryan Gravenberch and the ball was intercepted, forcing Alisson to make a superb save to stop Osimhen’s effort from finding the back of the net. However, the Brazilian goalie was injured in the process and had to leave the pitch limping. His place was taken by Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Arne Slot had decided to exclude Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak from his starting XI on Tuesday but was forced to bring them on after the hour mark as the Reds searched for an equalizer. Isak fired almost immediately after entering the pitch but Cahir made sure the ball stayed out of the net.

Liverpool’s momentum was slowed down when Ekitike made way for Alexis Mac Allister after sustaining an injury while stretching for the ball. The Reds thought they had eventually found a way back into the tie when French referee Clement Turpin pointed to the spot after Konate went down in the box. However, the decision to award the visitors a penalty was overturned following a video assistant referee (VAR) review.

Unfortunately for Arne Slot and his men, there was no late drama this time as Galatasaray remained solid defensively until the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the match.

Liverpool are still top of the Premier League table despite losing to Crystal Palace over the weekend. The Reds have so far lost two games across all competitions and several of their expensive stars are still struggling to make an impact on the pitch.

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Speaking after last night’s Champions League game, Slot said he was disappointed by the results.

“Again, disappointed. We are sometimes a bit outsmarted in situations like this, and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. They make a 20% penalty a 100% penalty, which is very smart from them. We are not so far… This is sometimes what the schedule can bring, Galatasaray is not a simple game. We now play Chelsea away, a difficult game.” Slot told Amazon Prime Video, according to ESPN.