Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool: Osimhen moved to tears as Lions seize first-leg advantage

Istanbul – Galatasaray struck inside seven minutes and held the lead until the half-time whistle to claim a precious 1-0 advantage over Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie at a raucous Rams Park on Wednesday night.

The hosts’ perfect start came straight from the training ground: a left-wing corner was met by Victor Osimhen’s glancing flick, and former Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina threw himself at the loose ball to divert it past debutant keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, standing in for the injured Alisson Becker. The goal, timed at 6:52, is the fastest ever scored by Galatasaray in a Champions League knockout match.

The strike ignited the stadium and reduced Osimhen to tears minutes later when the Turk Telekom Arena’s famous “ultrAslan” unveiled a pre-match choreography dedicated to the on-loan Nigerian and his mother. The striker responded by walking to the edge of the curva, placing his hands in the shape of a heart and mouthing his gratitude to the supporters who have quickly adopted him as their own.

Galatasaray’s high press kept Liverpool on the back foot for much of the half. Osimhen nearly doubled the advantage on 26 minutes, climbing above Ibrahima Konaté to power a header that forced Mamardashvili into a fingertip save. Moments later Davinson Sánchez forced the Georgian into further heroics, clawing away a close-range effort after a recycled free-kick.

Liverpool thought they had levelled 17 minutes from time when the ball was turned in during a goal-mouth scramble, only for a VAR review to spot Konaté’s handball in the build-up. Referee François Letexier chalked off the goal, preserving Galatasaray’s narrow cushion ahead of next Tuesday’s return at Anfield.

The night also saw Mohamed Salah make individual history, his 81st Champions League appearance eclipsing Jamie Carragher’s club record of 80. Yet the Egyptian and his teammates will need a reversal in fortunes on Merseyside if they are to prevent the Lions from marching into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2013.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, will attempt to protect their slender lead knowing that victory in Istanbul is never easily earned – and on this evidence, neither is progression in Europe’s premier competition.