Liverpool suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday night, as Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty handed the Turkish champions a memorable victory in the Champions League.
The result marked a second straight defeat for Arne Slot’s side — their first back-to-back losses under the Dutch manager — and raised fresh concerns over the team’s unconvincing start to the season.
Osimhen converted from the spot in the 16th minute after Baris Alper Yilmaz went down under minimal contact from Dominik Szoboszlai, who was deployed out of position at right-back. The decision proved costly, with Liverpool unable to mount a comeback despite a host of late changes.
Slot had made four changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace at the weekend, benching key players Mohamed Salah and £125 million signing Alexander Isak. But the reshuffle failed to ignite a response from a side still searching for rhythm following a summer rebuild.
“Again, disappointment because you lose — and football is about winning,” said Slot. “But for me, this was a different performance. The margins were really small last season, but we were usually on the right side of them. Today, again, we weren’t.”
Despite dominating possession, Liverpool lacked sharpness in the final third. They missed a golden chance just before conceding when Hugo Ekitike was denied by goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, and Cody Gakpo’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Ismail Jakobs.
Galatasaray, thrashed 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt in their group opener, were a different force at home. Their pace and directness exposed Liverpool’s defensive frailties — notably through Konate, whose struggles continued. The French centre-back nearly gifted Galatasaray a second goal early in the second half, only for Alisson Becker to bail him out once again.
However, the Brazilian goalkeeper picked up an injury during that save and was forced off, replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Salah and Isak were introduced on the hour, but their impact was minimal. Liverpool thought they had a lifeline when referee Clement Turpin awarded a penalty for a foul on Konate — only to overturn the decision after a VAR review.
In stoppage time, Lucas Torreira almost doubled Galatasaray’s lead with a low drive that fizzed just wide.
The defeat leaves both sides level on three points after two games, with Liverpool slipping to 16th in the early Champions League standings.
