Victor Osimhen scored the decisive goal as Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0 in Istanbul, representing the hosts' first points in this season's UCL and a second successive loss across all competitions for the Reds.
2025/2026 UEFA Champions League
1-0
Match Report
After suffering their first Premier League defeat of the season in their away clash with Crystal Palace, Liverpool may have hoped for an easier follow-up game than a trip to the vociferous Rams Park for a tricky meeting with Galatasaray. If they were in any doubt, the Reds were made fully aware in the opening few minutes that this would be a tough assignment, with Alisson forced to thwart Barış Yılmaz in a one-on-one situation.
Just over 10 minutes later, the Liverpool goalkeeper was facing up to an Osimhen penalty after Yılmaz went down under a challenge from makeshift right-back Dominik Szoboszlai - only seconds after Cody Gakpo had an effort cleared off the line at the opposite end of the pitch. Osimhen took no chances with his spot-kick, thumping it straight down the middle to score his sixth goal in as many matches against English opposition.
Florian Wirtz threatened to provide a swift response when he drew a diving stop from Uğurcan Çakır, but in truth, Liverpool could have little complaints about the HT scoreline following an error-strewn display in the first period. Another moment of sloppiness after the restart saw Osimhen intercept a poor pass and race through to fire a shot at Alisson, who picked up a game-ending injury in the process of making the save. As a result, Arne Slot had to summon Giorgi Mamardashvili for his first UCL appearance, not long before the Reds boss returned to his bench to introduce Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley and the talismanic Mohamed Salah in a bid to find a way back into the contest.
As Liverpool continued to struggle against Galatasaray's determined backline, they looked set to receive a lifeline when referee Clément Turpin pointed to the spot in the closing stages, only for the decision against Wilfried Singo to be overturned following a VAR review. The subsequent eight minutes of added time were not enough for Liverpool, who have now failed to win their last three away H2Hs and head into a trip to Chelsea at the weekend with questions to answer after a second successive defeat.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
4' Yilmaz hits a curling shot from the edge of the box but Alisson keeps it out
7' Ekitike finds himself some space and plants a header which goes wide
15' Osimhen fires the penalty into the middle of the goal! Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool
24' Frimpong sends a cross into the box but it is cleared by the defender
29' Osimhen sends a pass into the box, but his attempt is thwarted and cleared
30' Wirtz sends a rebound goalwards towards the corner, but the keeper saves it
33' Osimhen's effort from outside the box is saved by Alisson
45' A foul from Gravenberch as he brought down Osimhen
46' Jones makes an overly-aggressive challenge and it is a foul
48' Ekitike receives a slide-rule pass inside the box but his shot is saved
54' Osimhen beats two defenders before firing in a drive but Alisson makes a save
56' Alisson is substituted due to injury, Giorgi Mamardashvili on
63' Isak, Salah and Bradley replace Ekitike, Gakpo and Frimpong
70' Bradley produces a header from inside the box but it flies well wide
Line-ups
Galatasaray XI: Gundogan, Lemina, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Sanchez, Torreira, Uğurcan Çakır, Osimhen, Akgun, Ismail Jakobs, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Singo
Subs: Günay Güvenç, Kaan Ayhan, Icardi, Sane, Roland Sallai, Ahmed Kutucu, Gabriel Sara, Metehan Baltacı, Yusuf Demir, Eren Elmalı, Berkan Kutlu, Arda Ünyay
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Van Dijk, Konate, Gakpo, Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Gravenberch, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitiké, Milos Kerkez, Wirtz
Subs: Endo, Salah, Robertson, Freddie Woodman, Joe Gomez, Isak, Mac Allister, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Conor Bradley, Rio Ngumoha