Galatasaray secured a narrow 1–0 victory over Liverpool FC in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday.
Lemina’s Early Strike
Mario Lemina scored in the seventh minute, diving to head the ball into the net after Victor Osimhen nodded a corner back across goal.
The early breakthrough gave the Turkish champions a slim advantage heading into next week’s return leg at Anfield.
“I am grateful to my teammates and all our fans. We wanted to win by fighting hard, just like in the first match,”
Lemina said after earning the Player of the Match award.
“And we did.”
Goals Ruled Out in Tense Second Half
Both teams had goals ruled out during a tense second half.
Osimhen thought he had doubled Galatasaray’s lead shortly after the hour mark, but the effort was disallowed for offside.
Liverpool also had a goal ruled out in the 70th minute after a VAR review determined that the ball had struck Ibrahima Konaté’s hand before going into the net.
Liverpool Eye Comeback at Anfield
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said his side would aim to overturn the deficit in the second leg.
“We created a lot of chances, but we also missed a lot,” he said.
“The second leg will be at our home, and that’s definitely an advantage for us. Everything is in our hands when we’re at home.”
Leave a comment