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Champions League glory
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Istanbul holds special memories for Liverpool after their famous comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 final but Arne Slot’s men endured a night to forget twenty years later. ‘Welcome to Hell’ is the infamous banner that greets teams at Rams Park and the fervent home supporters ensured it was an uncomfortable night as the English Premier League champions fell to a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League.
Victor Osimhen was the hero for Gala, converting a penalty on 16 minutes to inflict consecutive defeats on the Anfield side for just the second time during Slot’s tenure - Liverpool lost to PSG last season before Newcastle United won the League Cup final. The Merseyside club spent big in the summer on new signings but their team looked unbalanced in Türkiye with big-money arrivals Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak failing to impress. Liverpool showed no reaction from their weekend defeat to Crystal Palace and they’ve failed to look convincing this season, despite sitting top of the Premier League.
Victor Osimhen claims Champions League record
It was a special night for Galatasaray as they won their first Champions League home fixture in seven years. The Istanbul giants suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat in their opening game against Eintracht Frankfurt but their result against Liverpool showed how important their home games will be with their vociferous support. Galatasaray are the leading force in Turkish football but Liverpool’s squad is valued over €850m more than theirs, making it the Süper Lig outfit's biggest scalp in their history based on disparity in squad values. It was also a special night for Osimhen as he became the outright top Nigerian goalscorer in Champions League history with ten goals.
For Liverpool, Slot will be concerned with aspects of their performance and his new-look side haven’t yet gelled. They’ve lacked cohesion at times this season and they face a tough upcoming fixture list, starting with a trip to Chelsea on Sunday. There's also concern on the injury front with Hugo Ekitiké and Alisson sustaining issues with Slot confirming that his goalkeeper won't feature at Stamford Bridge. Speaking after the game, Slot said: “"Again, disappointed. For me, this was a different performance on and off the ball."We are not so far [from 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.”
