Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool: Osimhen shines as Reds suffer defeat in Istanbul

Liverpool endured a difficult night in Istanbul but escaped with their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie still alive after a 1–0 defeat to Galatasaray at RAMS Park.

The result marked the 100th game in charge for Liverpool manager Arne Slot, though it was far from a memorable milestone. Despite a below-par performance, the Reds remain in contention ahead of the second leg at Anfield.

Lemina strike stuns Liverpool early

Galatasaray made a perfect start when Mario Lemina headed home in the seventh minute to ignite the home crowd.

The move began with Noa Lang forcing a corner after beating Joe Gomez.

Gabriel Sara delivered the set piece to the far post, where Victor Osimhen nodded the ball back across goal for Lemina to head past Giorgi Mamardashvili from close range.

Osimhen nearly doubled the lead moments later but headed wide after slipping between Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez.

Mamardashvili keeps Liverpool in the tie

Liverpool struggled defensively for much of the first half and relied heavily on goalkeeper Mamardashvili to keep the scoreline respectable.

The Georgian produced two important saves, first diving low to deny Lang before turning away a header from Davinson Sánchez.

At the other end, Liverpool squandered a promising opportunity when Florian Wirtz dragged a shot wide with the goal open after pressure from Dominik Szoboszlai forced an error from Lucas Torreira.

Goals ruled out in chaotic second half

The second half produced more drama, with both teams seeing goals disallowed.

Liverpool thought they had equalised when a corner eventually crossed the line during a scramble in the box. However, VAR ruled the goal out after the ball struck Ibrahima Konaté’s arm before going in.

Galatasaray also had a potential second goal chalked off after Osimhen appeared to score, with the offside flag raised against Barış Alper Yılmaz in the build-up.

Liverpool still alive ahead of Anfield return

Liverpool’s attacking threat remained limited throughout the contest. Mohamed Salah struggled to influence proceedings and was substituted before the hour mark as Slot attempted to reshape his side.

Despite their struggles, the Reds avoided further damage, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg at Anfield.

While Galatasaray will take confidence from the victory, Liverpool know a one-goal deficit keeps their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals firmly within reach.