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Liverpool have not won on four trips to Galatasaray At a glance Mario Lemina heads Galatasaray into early lead The Turkish champions have a second goal from Victor Osimhen ruled out for offside Hugo Ekitike denied by great save before Liverpool have equaliser ruled out for handball Return leg is at Anfield on 18 March PLAYER RATINGS Arne Slot's 100th game in charge of Liverpool ended in defeat as Galatasaray established a narrow last-16 Champions League lead to take to Anfield next week. In front of a hostile home crowd in Istanbul, Liverpool's familiar shortcomings resurfaced as Mario Lemina nodded the seventh-minute winner - the 10th goal Slot's side have conceded from corners this season. The former Southampton, Fulham and Wolves midfielder was well placed to head past Giorgi Mamardashvili, making a rare start in the absence of injured first-choice goalkeeper Alisson, from close range after Victor Osimhen's headed on a Gabriel Sara set-piece. It was Lemina's first goal of the season - and five years ago he scored the winner at Liverpool for Fulham in a Premier League game. Osimhen thought he had made it 2-0 after a calamitous mistake by Ibrahima Konate, but the close-range effort was ruled out after Baris Alper Yilmaz was deemed to be offside in the build-up, even though he didn't touch the ball. Liverpool thought they had equalised in the 70th minute after the ball was bundled over the line from Dominik Szoboszlai's corner. But that was also ruled out following a lengthy check after the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled the ball hit Konate's arm twice - firstly from the corner delivery, and then after the ball came off Virgil van Dijk's heel. In a frantic match, the Reds should have been ahead before Galatasaray's early breakthrough, but Florian Wirtz fired narrowly wide after an error by home keeper Ugurcan Cakir. Even after conceding, they had chances to get themselves back on level terms. Wirtz forced Cakir into a save before Konate drilled agonisingly over the bar, before Mamardashvili rescued the visitors. The Georgia keeper produced a fine stop to deny former Spurs defender Davinson Sanchez from doubling his side's lead. But the Turkish champions looked hesitant at the back and Cakir stretched out a left hand to make a stunning save to keep out Hugo Ekitike's chipped finish after a good run by the French forward. Liverpool thought they had equalised in a goalmouth scramble, only for VAR to intervene and leave Slot's side with it all to do in the second leg at Anfield on 18 March. Have your say on Liverpool's performance Liverpool's vulnerability from corners has been a thorny issue all season - and so it proved again in Turkey. Only West Ham (15), Chelsea (12) and Nottingham Forest (12) have let in more among Premier League sides. The goal that decided the first leg came after Osimhen was allowed to rise unchallenged to meet Sara's corner, and the Nigeria forward headed it straight to Lemina to finish on a bitterly frustrating night for the visitors. While Istanbul may evoke memories of celebration for Liverpool fans after their extraordinary comeback win over AC Milan in the 2005 final, the Reds have now failed to win in four away games against Galatasaray. Having lost 1-0 to the Turkish champions in the league phase back in September, this was a test to see if Slot's side had learned lessons. The answer soon became apparent when they conceded early, while there was huge relief when Osimhen's goal - which would have been his eighth in this season's competition - was ruled out after Konate got his feet in a tangle. A 2-0 deficit would have left Liverpool facing an enormous task in the return, yet they are still going to have to come from behind to reach the quarter-finals. Failure to get through - just as they did last season with a last-16 exit against Paris St-Germain - will only increase the pressure on Slot's position. The Reds next host Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, 15 March (16: 30 GMT) before the return leg with Galatasaray at Anfield on Wednesday, 18 March (20: 00). After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Latest Champions League table Champions League scores & fixtures Follow the latest Champions League news Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22: 00 on Wednesday on BBC i Player and the BBC Sport website and app. There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22: 40 to 00: 00. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Manager: Okan Buruk Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Arne Slot Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Okan Buruk Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Arne Slot Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Galatasaray Galatasaray Liverpool Liverpool High chance of scoring Medium chance of scoring Low chance of scoring Dominant period Match momentum measures the swing of the match by comparing each team’s threat to see who is more likely to score within that minute. The momentum value is the difference between each team’s most dangerous moment, or team threat, in that minute. Match momentum measures the swing of the match by comparing each team’s threat to see who is more likely to score within that minute. The momentum value is the difference between each team’s most dangerous moment, or team threat, in that minute. 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They have already beaten Liverpool 1-0 at home in this season's competition. Liverpool have won just one of five previous UEFA Champions League meetings with Galatasaray (D2 L2), a win rate of 20% - their joint-lowest against any side they have faced 5+ times in the competition (also 20% v Chelsea). Liverpool have never won in three previous away games at Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League (D1 L2), only visiting Chelsea more times without ever winning in the competition (5). Galatasaray have only lost two of their 22 home matches in the knockout stages of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (W13 D7), and are unbeaten in their last 10 (W6 D4) since a defeat to Atlético de Madrid in the first round in October 1973 (0-1). Liverpool have lost four of their last five matches in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League (W1), although the one game they did avoid defeat in was Arne Slot’s only away match in the knockout stages in charge of the Reds: 1-0 at Paris SG in last season’s round of 16 (first leg). In terms of starting XI average age, Galatasaray are the oldest side remaining in this season’s UEFA Champions League (28y 273d); overall, they rank 33rd out of the 36 teams in this edition, going from youngest to oldest.   Dominik Szoboszlai has been directly involved in eight goals in the UEFA Champions League this term (4 goals, 4 assists), more than any other Liverpool player. The only central midfielder with more in a single edition for the Reds is Steven Gerrard, who notched 10 in 2007-08 (6 goals, 4 assists). Victor Osimhen has scored seven goals in eight UEFA Champions League appearances for Galatasaray this season; just one goal shy of the most ever for a Turkish team in a single edition, which was also a Galatasaray player (8 - Burak Yilmaz in 2012-13). Mohamed Salah could overtake Jamie Carragher to become Liverpool’s record appearance maker in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (both currently on 80 games). The Egyptian is also just one goal away from becoming the first African player to reach 50 in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (currently on 49). 83% of Hugo Ekitiké’s touches in the UEFA Champions League have come while under high-intensity pressure from an opponent; the highest percentage of any player in this edition (min. 90 minutes played).   Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray). Milos Kerkez (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Mario Lemina (Galatasaray) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Gabriel Sara with a cross following a corner. Corner, Galatasaray. Conceded by Ibrahima Konaté. Attempt blocked. Noa Lang (Galatasaray) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Gabriel Sara. Attempt saved. Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal by Ugurcan Çakir (Galatasaray). Assisted by Milos Kerkez with a headed pass. Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray). Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Ismail Jakobs. Attempt saved. Mario Lemina (Galatasaray) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner by Giorgi Mamardashvili (Liverpool). Assisted by Noa Lang. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match because of an injury Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray). Milos Kerkez (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Milos Kerkez (Liverpool). Foul by Mario Lemina (Galatasaray). Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match because of an injury Mario Lemina (Galatasaray). Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.