Liverpool 4-0 Galatasaray (4-1 agg): Szoboszlai 25, Ekitike 51, Gravenberch 53, Salah 62
Talk around Arne Slot’s future at Liverpool reached a crescendo last week after the loss to Galatasaray in Turkey was followed by a miserable draw to relegation-threatened Tottenham, but here at Anfield the Reds showed there was still a lot of quality waiting to be summoned.
Mohamed Salah became the first African player to score 50 Champions League goals as Liverpool produced one of their best performances of the season to overwhelm Galatasaray and set up a quarter-final tie with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Egypt international missed a first-half penalty and saw another effort brilliantly saved when the match hung in the balance but there was more to come from him after the interval. The lights were turned on and Liverpool staged a devastating 11-minute show that swept the Turkish club aside.
Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Salah himself all found the net and offered a timely reminder of Liverpool’s capabilities when their attacking talents click into gear.
50 – Mohamed Salah has scored his 50th UEFA Champions League goal – he is the first African player to hit that landmark. King. pic.twitter.com/Elnf7hIHoO
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 18, 2026
Galatasaray arrived intent on protecting their slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Istanbul but left thoroughly outclassed, their hopes extinguished long before the final whistle. Victor Osimhen was isolated and ineffective in the first period and failed to appear for the second after sustaining an arm injury, although even he could do little.
For the hosts the gameplan was to consistently truncate play, fall, delay and make things ugly, but Liverpool would not be drawn. Dominik Szoboszlai, something of a familiar name on Liverpool’s side of the scoreboard this season, hit an excellent first-time shot from Alexis Mac Allister’s corner to open the lead and Salah should have made it two shortly after.
The forward ran through on goal and opted for the chip over Ugurcan Cakir. It was poorly executed and Cakir saved. Cakir soon pulled out another fine save to deny Szoboszlai from distance before the midfielder was tripped by Ismail Jakobs and Liverpool had another chance to double the lead. Salah blew it, striking centrally in a poor attempt at a Panenka and allowing Cakir save with his foot and add another memorable intervention to his portfolio.
Well in, Szobo 👏
Your @Carlsberg Player of the Match this evening 🏆 #Ad pic.twitter.com/OFVCS2cIDE
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 18, 2026
Fortunately, there was more to come from the home team in the second half. Within seven minutes of the restart, Salah’s perfectly weighted low cross was met by the arriving Ekitike, who converted to put his side ahead. Two minutes later, Gravenberch combined with Florian Wirtz and then was on hand in the box to sweep home on the rebound after Salah’s half-volley could only be parried by Cakir.
Liverpool thought they had added a fourth moments later when Wilfried Singo turned Jeremie Frimpong’s cross into his own net, but the flag had gone up. Respite for the visitors but it was only temporary. Salah soon burst down the right flank and exchanged passes with Wirtz, before cutting inside to curl beyond Cakir.
