Match reportLiverpool slip to defeat by Galatasaray in Istanbul
Liverpool were defeated 1-0 at Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Reds’ second league-phase game of the season ended in a loss due to Victor Osimhen’s 16th-minute penalty.
A difficult evening at RAMS Park in Turkiye was compounded by second-half injuries suffered by Alisson Becker and Hugo Ekitike as Arne Slot’s side were unable to retrieve any points from the setback inflicted by the hosts’ early spot-kick.
Team
Slot made four changes to his starting XI, with Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones joining Ekitike as returnees to the line-up.
Liverpool: Alisson (Mamardashvili, 56), Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Jones, Gakpo (Isak, 62), Ekitike (Mac Allister, 69), Frimpong (Salah, 62), Gravenberch (Bradley, 62).
Unused subs: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Robertson, Ngumoha.
First half
Alisson made a good early save from Baris Alper Yilmaz and Liverpool then settled into a rhythm of dominating possession amid the deafening whistles of the home crowd.
A lovely move ended with Frimpong’s low cross – aimed for Ekitike – being cut out by Davinson Sanchez and the Reds’ No.22 then miscued a header from Gakpo’s cross.
The momentum of the half hinged on a minute around the quarter-hour mark as, first, Gakpo saw an effort cleared off the line at one end before Galatasaray won a penalty at the other.
Dominik Szoboszlai was adjudged to have fouled Yilmaz and Osimhen stepped up to convert from 12 yards.
The visitors resumed control of possession but were unable to test home goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir until Florian Wirtz dug out a snapshot from Frimpong’s knockdown that was tipped wide.
Galatasaray then somehow cleared the danger following a corner where Virgil van Dijk made first contact and Milos Kerkez and Ekitike each attempted to force the ball over the line.
Second half
A positive start to the second half included an inventive Ekitike attempt, the forward flicking Frimpong’s pullback goalwards, only for Cakir to save.
The next chance was Galatasaray’s, though, as Osimhen beat Ryan Gravenberch to the ball and bore down on Alisson. Liverpool’s No.1 made a fine stop but injured himself in the process and had to be replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
On the hour, Slot introduced Conor Bradley, Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah from the bench and Isak’s first involvement was to draw a save from Cakir.
But the Reds’ hopes of mounting a comeback were dealt another blow soon after as Ekitike was forced off too.
Bradley headed wide and, with Galatasaray tiring as Liverpool’s urgency increased, a late equaliser felt more likely.
It seemed the Reds would have the chance to level with a penalty of their own when the referee awarded a spot-kick for a foul on Ibrahima Konate with one minute left, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review and Slot’s team were beaten.