By: Osabuohien Imuetinyanosa
Victor Osimhen scored from a spot as Galatasaray dealt Liverpool a stinging second successive defeat on a tough Champions League night in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Unfortunately to the 1-0 result, Liverpool lost goalkeeper Alisson and French striker Hugo Ekitike with manager Arne Slot ruling the Brazilian out of Liverpool’s next Premier League game at Chelsea.
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“It’s never positive if you go off like this. You can be sure he’s not playing on Saturday and let’s wait how long it’s going to take,” he said of Alisson, who made key saves but could not keep out Osimhen’s 16th-minute penalty.
The masked Nigerian striker stepped up after Baris Alper Yilmaz went down on being swiped in the face by Dominik Szoboszlai.
Liverpool made three changes to the lineup that suffered a first league defeat of the season by Crystal Palace at the weekend, with Mohamed Salah on the bench along with record signing Alexander Isak.
Both came on in the 62nd minute when Liverpool made a triple substitution, with Salah replacing starter Jeremie Frimpong on the right wing, after Alisson had gone off injured and was replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili in the 56th.
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Ekitike, in the starting lineup on his return from a domestic suspension, went off in the 68th on a bruising night for the visitors who had their chances but looked alarmingly vulnerable in defence.
The win was a first in seven years at home in the Champions League for the Turkish side and a notable one against opponents unbeaten in all competitions until last weekend and now dealt two losses in a row.
Galatasaray could have been in front already in the second minute when Yilmaz caught the defence napping and went one on one with Alisson, who stood firm and shut out the danger.
Liverpool then missed a golden chance of their own in the 13th when Ekitike miscued the ball after getting into a scoring position and Cody Gakpo had a shot cleared off the line on the rebound.
From almost taking the lead, Liverpool found themselves behind seconds later.
“We are sometimes a bit outsmarted in situations like this, and I cannot blame Dom for that situation. They make from a 20% penalty, maybe a 100% penalty. And that is something that is very smart of them,” said Slot.
The visitors had the chance to equalise in the 32nd, with another Ekitike shot blocked and Ibrahima Konate missing from close range, but continued to look vulnerable and gave away a free kick on the edge of the area on the stroke of halftime.
The second half brought a raft of substitutions but no change on the pitch and Liverpool still looking nervous in defence, with loose passing as Galatasaray worked constantly to keep up the pressure.
Alisson limped off after saving from Osimhen and Ekitike then pulled up after stretching for the ball.
Liverpool sniffed an equaliser in the 88th when referee Clement Turpin pointed to the spot but was overruled by a VAR review correctly deciding that Wilfried Singo had played the ball.
“For me this was a different performance on the ball and off the ball than it was last Saturday,” said Slot.
“First half I think we played quite well, we had a big chance to go one-nil up and then the counter-attack. I don’t think he touched him with his leg, it was the hand that made it a penalty.”
Fans displayed banners protesting the war in Gaza at both ends of the pitch, with a tribute to the late Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva before the kickoff.
Victor Osimhen instrumental in Galatasaray’s victories since his arrival, he has been in exceptional form for Galatasaray, showcasing his goal-scoring prowess and playmaking abilities.
Osimhen to his credit has scored 22 goals in the Super Lig and 31 goals in all competition making him one of Europe’s most lethal forwards. And Galatasaray still with Osimhen defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League yesterday,
Photo Credit –Reuters
