Galatasaray secured a narrow last-16 Champions League victory against Liverpool in Arne Slot’s 100th game in charge of Liverpool.
Liverpool’s old flaws emerged in front of a hostile home crowd in Istanbul as Mario Lemina headed the winner in the seventh minute, the tenth goal surrendered from a corner this season.
The former Southampton, Fulham, and Wolves midfielder was well situated to head past Giorgi Mamardashvili, making a rare start in place of injured first-choice goalkeeper Alisson, from close range after Victor Osimhen headed a Gabriel Sara set piece.
It was Lemina’s first goal of the season, and he also scored the winning goal for Fulham in a Premier League game against Liverpool five years ago.
Osimhen believed he had made it 2-0 after Ibrahima Konate’s disastrous blunder, but the close-range shot was ruled out because Baris Alper Yilmaz was declared offside in the build-up, despite the fact that he did not touch the ball.
Liverpool thought they had equalized in the 70th minute when the ball was pushed across the line from a Dominik Szoboszlai corner.
However, that was also ruled out after a lengthy review by the video assistant referee (VAR), who determined that the ball struck Konate’s arm twice—first from the corner delivery and then when it bounced off Virgil van Dijk’s heel.
In a frenzied match, the Reds should have taken the lead before Galatasaray’s early breakthrough, but Florian Wirtz blasted barely wide following a blunder by home keeper Uğurcan Çakır.
Even after conceding, they had opportunities to get back on equal terms.
Wirtz forced Cakir into a save, but Konate hammered an agonizing shot over the bar before Mamardashvili saved the visitors’
The Georgia goalkeeper made a superb save to prevent former Tottenham Hotspur defender Davinson Sánchez from extending his team’s lead.
Cakir saved Hugo Ekitike’s chipped finish after a good run by the French forward, but the Turkish champions looked hesitant at the back.
Liverpool thought they had equalized in a goalmouth scramble, but VAR intervened, leaving Slot’s side with an uphill battle in the second leg at Anfield on March 18.
