Osimhen scores from the spot as Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0

The striker scores an early penalty as Galatasaray beat an error-prone Liverpool

UEFA Champions League - Galatasaray v Liverpool - Rams Park, Istanbul, Turkey - Sept 30, 2025 Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen in action with Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Victor Osimhen scored an early penalty as Galatasaray beat an error-prone Liverpool, who lost goalkeeper Alisson and striker Hugo Ekitike to injury, 1-0 in a raucous Champions League clash in Istanbul on Tuesday.

The masked Nigerian striker blasted the ball past a diving Alisson when he stepped up in the 16th minute after Baris Alper Yilmaz went down on being swiped in the face by Dominik Szoboszlai.

Liverpool made three changes to the lineup that suffered a first league defeat of the season by Crystal Palace at the weekend, with Mohamed Salah on the bench along with record signing Alexander Isak.

Both came on in the 62nd minute when Liverpool made a triple substitution, with Salah replacing starter Jeremie Frimpong on the right wing, after Alisson had gone off injured and was replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili in the 56th.

Ekitike, in the starting lineup on his return from a domestic suspension, went off injured in the 68th on a bruising night for the visitors who had their chances but looked alarmingly vulnerable in defence.