Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool: Lemina 7
It could have been worse for Liverpool. Victor Osimhen’s strike to double Galatasaray’s lead in the second half was ruled out for a questionable offside, although Arne Slot’s side could justifiably also point to their equaliser ruled out for having scraped the arm of Ibrahima Konate.
But this was a game many of the Anfield persuasion would remember with distaste. Liverpool’s Jekyll and Hyde season was at its worst moments here as they laboured for two-thirds of this tie.
Slot warned his Liverpool players they needed to be prepared for the noise that greets visiting teams at Rams Park in Istanbul, something they had witnessed in September when they lost there to begin the long dragging of this campaign through the mud. You are alone in Hell, Galatasaray fans proudly displayed to the Liverpool players on the night, complemented by their raging red and yellow colours.
No way out. pic.twitter.com/2CWx8hSD0e
— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) March 10, 2026
It is a blanket of hostility like no other and Slot’s team were consumed by it. The only positive takeaway is that it was only 1-0. Perhaps Liverpool could turn it around at Anfield.
Mario Lemina’s seventh-minute header was ultimately the difference between the two sides but Liverpool were once again allergic to invention. The opening exchanges offered something. Florian Wirtz should have punished a stranded Ugurcan Cakir inside two minutes but scuffed his effort from the edge of the box.
But then Galatasaray took the warning and it was the Turkish side who went ahead soon after. Gabriel Sara’s corner found Osimhen at the back post and the Nigeria international headed across goal where Lemina, arriving, powered the ball past Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Then it was all Galatasaray. Osimhen nodded a header inches wide before firing over after Konate was caught in possession. Mamardashvili kept his side in the tie with a stunning double save before the interval, first shovelling away Noa Lang’s inswinger before springing to his left to deny Davinson Sanchez on the header.
Liverpool needed to be better in the second half. Dominik Szoboszlai stung the palms of Cakir and Mac Allister had a moment from 12 yards after Joe Gomez’s long throw but dragged his shot wide. The Argentine’s pained reaction was appropriate after missing the golden opportunity.
Konate’s poor back pass sent Osimhen through and the striker finished with composure to seemingly heap misery on Slot’s team, only for Baris Alper Yilmaz to be deemed to have been offside in the build-up. Liverpool had reprieve and almost capitalised when the ball from Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner pinballed around the six-yard box before crossing the line off the bodies of Konate and Van Dijk. The referee ruled that the ball had touched Konate’s arm and the goal that directly resulted from it had to be ruled out.
There were some chances late on as Liverpool began to recover. A deflected Andy Robertson cross was pawed away by Cakir and Cody Gakpo came close, but the damage could not be undone.
