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Victor Osimhen celebrates after putting Galatasaray ahead from the penalty spot against Liverpool in the Champions League game in Istanbul. At a glance Liverpool head coach Arne Slot leaves Mohamed Salah on the bench, and £125m British record signing Alexander Isak Victor Osimhen puts Galatasaray ahead from penalty spot in 16th minute after Dominik Szoboszlai fouls Baris Alper Yilmaz Liverpool keeper Alisson goes off injured on 56 minutes after crucial save from Victor Osimhen PLAYER RATER Liverpool suffered their second successive defeat as Galatasaray inflicted a Champions League loss on a thunderous night in Istanbul. Head coach Arne Slot left talisman Mohamed Salah on the bench after Liverpool lost at Crystal Palace, but the Premier League champions failed to fire amid a constant cacophony of noise at RAMS Park. And, to add to Liverpool's misery, goalkeeper Alisson went off injured in the second half after pulling off a superb save from Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen. Osimhen gave Galatasaray the lead after 16 minutes when French referee Clement Turpin adjudged that Dominik Szoboszlai had fouled Baris Alper Yilmaz. The goal came just 17 seconds after former Tottenham Hotspur defender Davinson Sanchez had cleared off the line from Cody Gakpo. Slot introduced Salah and Alexander Isak just after the hour in an attempt to salvage something but it was to no avail. Liverpool thought they would get the chance to rescue a point when referee Turpin pointed to the spot after Ibrahima Konate went down, but the decision was overturned following a video assistant referee (VAR) review. Injured goalkeeper Alisson 'will not play on Saturday' Liverpool once again failed to match the standards they set when strolling to the Premier League title last season as they went down to defeat in the cauldron that is this intimidating, deafening arena in Istanbul. Slot's side were were exposed at the back, with Alisson their saviour as Yilmaz was able to race clear on goal even before Galatasary went ahead from the spot early on. Liverpool currently have a soft underbelly that has been a feature of their season so far, with several of their expensive stars struggling to make an impact, despite the fact they still stand top of the Premier League. It took a stoppage time goal from Virgil van Dijk to win their opening Champions League game against Atletico Madrid at Anfield and, while there is no cause for concern yet about their campaign, the simple truth is that performances must improve. Slot's decision to leave Salah on the bench did not reap dividends, while £116m Florian Wirtz was once again anonymous. This was a very bad night for Liverpool, capping a disappointing few days, with injury concerns over their outstanding keeper Alisson, as well as Hugo Ekitike, who went off in the second half. Slot and Liverpool will hope for much better when they visit Chelsea on Saturday evening. There was no sign of the famous "Welcome To Hell" greeting that used to meet English sides in Galatasary's famous old Ali Sami Yen Stadium - but the newer RAMS Park is hostile and atmospheric, a genuine sporting theatre on nights like this. Standing high on a hill overlooking Istanbul, it was a wall of noise hours before kick-off and the sound only died down when Liverpool were awarded a late penalty, bedlam ensuing once more when it was overturned. Liverpool possession was met with deafening whistles, while near hysteria greeted Osimhen's goal and the final whistle. It is over-stating the case to suggest Liverpool shrunk in such an atmosphere, but any visit to Istanbul will be tough and the fierce environment created by the fanatical Galatasaray supporters played a huge part in another disappointing night for the Premier League champions. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 30th September 2025 at 23: 57 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. 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 UEFA Champions League All competitions All competitions All competitions Galatasaray and Liverpool will meet for a fifth time in European competition, with both sides managing one victory apiece across the previous four (D2). This will be their first game against each other since a 3-2 win for Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League in December 2006. Liverpool are winless in their previous two away trips to face Galatasaray, 1-1 in February 2002 and losing 3-2 in December 2006. The only teams they’ve faced away from home more often in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League without winning are Chelsea (5 – D3 L2) and Napoli (3 – L3). Galatasaray are unbeaten in their last three games against English opponents in European competition (W2 D1), with wins over Manchester United (3-2) and Tottenham (3-2) in the UEFA Europa League in the last two campaigns. This is as many victories as they managed in the previous 12 combined (W2 D5 L5). Liverpool have won 13 of their last 14 matches in the group/league phase of the UEFA Champions League (L1), while the last team to keep a clean sheet against the Reds in a non-knockout stage game in the competition was Atalanta in November 2020 (scored 56 goals in 23 such matches since then). Galatasaray have only won one of their last 18 games in the UEFA Champions League (D5 L12), while they lost their opening game in the competition this season by four goals (1-5 v Eintracht Frankfurt). They haven’t lost their first two games in a UEFA Champions League campaign since 2012-13. Galatasaray are currently on their longest ever winless run at home in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (eight games – D4 L4), with their last victory coming against Lokomotiv Moscow in September 2018 (3-0). Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is now just two goals away from becoming the 11th player to score 50+ goals in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (currently on 48), as well as the only African player to do so. Florian Wirtz created a game-high five chances in his first UEFA Champions League game for Liverpool (v Atlético Madrid), all of which came from open play. Indeed, since the start of last season, Wirtz’s average of 3. 2 chances created from open play per 90 in the competition is the highest of any player (min. 500 minutes played). Ilkay Gündogan created four chances in his first UEFA Champions League outing for Galatasaray (v Eintracht Frankfurt); the joint-most by a player making their debut for the Turkish side in the competition on record (since 2003-04), along with Jean Seri in 2019-20 and Lionel Carole in 2015-16. Along with scoring Liverpool’s winning goal against Atlético Madrid on MD1, no Liverpool player completed more passes (85), made more line-breaking passes (18), won more duels (7) or aerial duels (6) in the match than defender Virgil Van Dijk. Curtis Jones (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray). Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match because of an injury Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray). Offside, Liverpool. Jeremie Frimpong is caught offside. Attempt saved. Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner by Ugurcan Çakir (Galatasaray). Assisted by Jeremie Frimpong. Offside, Galatasaray. Victor Osimhen is caught offside. Second Half begins Galatasaray 1, Liverpool 0. First Half ends, Galatasaray 1, Liverpool 0. Attempt blocked. Abdülkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Ilkay Gündogan. Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool). Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt missed. Wilfried Singo (Galatasaray) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Victor Osimhen. Foul by Curtis Jones (Liverpool). Ilkay Gündogan (Galatasaray) wins a free kick on the right wing. Fourth official has announced 3 minutes of added time. Curtis Jones (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray). Foul by Milos Kerkez (Liverpool). Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.