Champions League
Galatasaray
Sep 30, 2025 8.00pm
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0
HT : 0 0
FT
Liverpool

Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Victor Osimhen penalty sinks Arne Slot's meek men

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Alarm bells ringing for Arne as lacklustre Liverpool beaten by Galatasaray
© Iconsport

A lacklustre Liverpool side were condemned to back-to-back defeats as Galatasaray clinched a merited 1-0 victory in their Champions League league-phase clash at RAMS Park.

On the back of a deserved Premier League loss to Crystal Palace, Arne Slot opted for a couple of tactical tweaks, most notably dropping Mohamed Salah to the bench as Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong occupied the right-back and right wing-back spots respectively.

However, the former was then culpable for conceding a penalty for Victor Osimhen to convert inside the opening 20 minutes, and Slot's attack lacked a ruthless edge to get back into the game before half time.

Things went from bad to worse for the Reds when first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker came off injured early on in the second half, at a time where the Turkish hosts were carving their way through a disjointed Liverpool defence at will.

Hugo Ekitike then suffering an apparent hamstring problem rubbed further salt into the wounds for the visitors, who also had a late penalty on Ibrahima Konate overturned following a VAR review.

Galatasaray survived eight minutes of injury time to coincidentally end an eight-game winless run at home in the Champions League, while Liverpool failed to score in a UCL league phase/group-stage game for the first time since November 2020.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

© Imago

Is the honeymoon period finally over?

The cracks had begun to appear for Liverpool even before they lost their 100% record, from alarming defensive lapses to frequent late winners, which Reds fans knew were not sustainable.

Now, after Liverpool were fortunate to only lose by one against Crystal Palace, they could count themselves lucky that Galatasaray did not capitalise further on their frequent lackadaisical play and sloppy passes across the park.

Fingers can be pointed at Slot for his starting lineup, but changes are necessary amid a packed fixture schedule, and rotation can hardly be an excuse given the multi-million pound array of talent that still took to the field.

Ultimately, tonight was another night littered with concerning mistakes for the Premier League champions, and more alarm bells may now be ringing.

GALATASARAY VS. LIVERPOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Victor Osimhen goal vs. Liverpool (16th min, Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool)

The former Liverpool transfer target haunts his old admirers!

Szoboszlai has struggled to deal with Baris Yilmaz in the opening exchanges, and the Hungarian catches the winger in the face inside his own box, leading to the referee pointing to the spot straight away.

Osimhen squares up to Alisson, who dives to his right as the Nigerian striker sends his spot kick straight down the middle.

Liverpool penalty overturned vs. Galatasaray (89th minute, Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool)

Liverpool seemingly had another 80+ get out of jail free card, but not this time!

Ibrahima Konate goes down after clashing boots with Wilfried Singo high in the air, and Clement Turpin points to the spot straight away.

However, replays show that the Galatasaray defender just got a touch on the ball first, and Turpin reverses his decision after a very brief check of the monitor.

MAN OF THE MATCH - BARIS YILMAZ

© Imago

Whether the contact from Szoboszlai was enough to make Yilmaz fall down in the fashion that he did is another question, but the Galatasaray winger nevertheless earned his side the game-winning penalty and was a menace to the Merseysiders all evening.

By winning three fouls - including the penalty - putting in three tackles and completing one successful dribble, Yilmaz won all seven of his ground duels at RAMS Park. The only thing missing from his performance was a goal.

GALATASARAY VS. LIVERPOOL MATCH STATS

Possession: Galatasaray 33%-67% Liverpool

Shots: Galatasaray 9-16 Liverpool

Shots on target: Galatasaray 4-4 Liverpool

Corners: Galatasaray 3-7 Liverpool

Fouls: Galatasaray 12-14 Liverpool

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

Matchday three of the 2025-26 Champions League sees Liverpool head to Germany for a date with Eintracht Frankfurt on October 22, the same night that Galatasaray host Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt.

In the more immediate future, the Reds host Chelsea in Saturday's mouthwatering Premier League clash, while the Turkish Super Lig giants square up to Besiktas in their own blockbuster domestic battle this weekend.

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