The Turkish giants claimed a shock 1-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League, and Galatasaray wasted no time in rubbing salt into the Reds’ wounds on Tuesday night
Galatasaray have mercilessly taunted Liverpool following their unexpected 1-0 victory in the Champions League as Arne Slot’s side suffer consecutive defeats due to Victor Osimhen’s penalty. The Nigerian’s successful spot-kick within the first 20 minutes was all it took for the Turkish titans to triumph, as the Reds squandered their opportunities and failed to capitalise on their possession.
Dominik Szoboszlai was controversially penalised in the box after his trailing arm accidentally hit Baris Yilmaz in the face as the 25-year-old switched onto his right foot. Despite the protests from Liverpool, the Video Assistant Referee did not intervene.
Galatasaray capitalised just 23 seconds after Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo missed their chances following the Frenchman being set up for a one-on-one with the Galatasaray goalkeeper.
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Liverpool had a penalty opportunity of their own, but French referee Clement Turpin reversed his decision after VAR intervention.
Galatasaray’s victory marked their first home win in the Champions League in seven years, making amends for their 5-1 thrashing by Eintracht Frankfurt – Liverpool’s next rivals in the tournament.
In celebration of their notable victory, which joins other memorable moments like their 3-2 win over Real Madrid during the 2012/13 season, their English X account added insult to injury for the Reds and their fans.
“You’ll never walk alone, but sometimes you walk out without points,” read the tweet, accompanied by a picture of Milos Kerkez looking dejected.
In the lead-up to Tuesday’s clash in Istanbul, the Galatasaray faithful went to extraordinary lengths to unsettle the Reds ahead of their second League Phase encounter.
During the early hours, supporters staged a fireworks spectacular outside what they claimed was the team’s hotel.
Following the defeat, Dutchman Slot told Amazon Prime Sports his squad had once again been outsmarted by cunning gamesmanship.
He said: “Again, disappointed. For me, this was a different performance on and off the ball [than Crystal Palace]. First half we played quite well and had a big chance to go 1-0 up.
“It is difficult to compare this situation to before. We are sometimes a bit out-smarted in situations like this and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. They make a 20% penalty a 100% penalty, which is very smart from them.
“We are not so far [off the level shown last season]. This is sometimes what the schedule can bring – Galatasaray is not a simple game. We now play Chelsea away, a difficult game.
“The margins are small and they were last season. For the second time in a row we are on the wrong side.
“I saw a lot of things in the first half, but the second half was much less.
“I don’t think in the second half there was a lot of playing time. Their striker was on the floor four or five times. It was difficult to get momentum in the game.”
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