Again, Osimhen Helps Galatasaray Beat Liverpool in Istanbul 

*Lookman fires blanks in Atlético’s 5-2 defeat of Tottenham 

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigerian international striker, Victor Osimhen, last night helped Galatasaray to inflict another defeat on Liverpool at the Rams Park as the Turkish Lig champions gained a slim 1-0 advantage in their  UEFA Champions League Last 16 first leg clash in Istanbul 

The goal that decided the first leg came early in the seventh minute after Osimhen was allowed to rise unchallenged to meet Gabriel Sara’s corner, and the Nigeria forward headed it straight to Mario Lemina to finish on a bitterly frustrating night for the visitors from Anfield.

Few minutes later, Osimhen thought he had made it 2-0 after a calamitous mistake by Ibrahima Konate, but the close-range free header from the 2023 African Player of the Year  was ruled out after Baris Alper Yilmaz was deemed to be offside in the build-up, even though he didn’t touch the ball.

Last September in the League phase, it was Osimhen’s lone winner that earned Galatasaray all three points back then.

If his disallowed goal had been allowed to count, it would have been 

Osimhen’s eighth goal of the Champions League in this campaign.

Liverpool who kicked off this first leg in the Turkish capital in front of a hostile home crowd, took the game to the hosts at the blast of the whistle. They fought to make this Arne Slot’s 100th game in charge of Liverpool memorable. They even thought they had equalised after the ball was bundled over the line from Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner, but that was also ruled out for handball against Konate after a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) check.

In a frantic match, the Reds should have been ahead before Galatasaray’s early breakthrough, but Florian Wirtz fired narrowly wide after an error by home keeper Ugurcan Cakir.

Even after conceding, they had chances to get themselves back on level terms.

Wirtz forced Cakir into a save before Konate drilled agonisingly over the bar, before Mamardashvili rescued the visitors.

The Georgia keeper produced a fine stop to deny former Spurs defender Davinson Sanchez from doubling his side’s lead.

But the Turkish champions looked hesitant at the back and Cakir stretched out a left hand to make a stunning save to keep out Hugo Ekitike’s chipped finish after a good run by the French forward.

Liverpool thought they had equalised in a goalmouth scramble, only for VAR to intervene and leave Slot’s side with it all to do in the second leg at Anfield on 18 March.

Elsewhere, Ademola Lookman was in action for 69 minutes as Atletico Madrid hammered Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 to have one leg in the quarter final of the Champions League.

Lookman was substituted by Pablo Barrios as Diego Simeone’s men went in search of more goals to make the second leg next week safe for the Los Rojiblancos(The Red and White)

RESULTS 

Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool 

Atalanta 1-6 B’Munich 

Atlético 5-2 Tottenham 

Newcastle 1-1 Barcelona

TODAY

Leverkusen v Arsenal

Bodo/Glimt v Sporting

PSG v Chelsea

R’Madrid v Man City