Liverpool suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul, with Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty proving decisive.
The Reds had early chances to take the lead. Hugo Ekitike was put through on goal but failed to convert, and Cody Gakpo saw a goalbound effort cleared off the line. Virgil van Dijk and Konate also went close, but the breakthrough never came.
Galatasaray made their opportunity count when Osimhen converted a soft penalty after Dominik Szoboszlai was penalised for a foul inside the box. Liverpool also gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box in first-half stoppage time, but the hosts couldn’t extend their lead.
Early in the second half, Osimhen was denied by Alisson on a one-on-one, but Liverpool’s goalkeeper then suffered a knee injury and had to be replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili, making his Champions League debut.
A triple substitution saw Conor Bradley, Mohamed Salah, and Alexander Isak introduced, with Ekitike moving to the left wing and Szoboszlai shifting into midfield. That didn’t last long, though, as Ekitike picked up an injury and was replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, with Wirtz moving to the left wing.
Despite the changes, Liverpool struggled to create clear-cut chances. They did believe they had a penalty in the final minutes, but it was correctly overturned after a VAR review.
Two defeats in four days on the road continue a poor run for Liverpool, who have struggled in all 10 of their games so far this season.
Liverpool XI (Start): Alisson (Mamardashvili HT), Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitike
Subs Used: Mamardashvili, Isak, Mac Allister, Salah, Bradley
