Victor Osimhen's Last-Minute Penalty Secures Victory as Liverpool Suffers Back-to-Back Losses Amid Injury Woes and VAR Drama

Galatasaray Snatch Victory Over Liverpool with Late Victor Osimhen Penalty

Liverpool’s back-to-back Champions League losses continued as Galatasaray edged a tense encounter at Turk Telekom Arena. Victor Osimhen scored the decisive goal in the 116th minute after receiving a controversial penalty awarded in the 16th minute for a handball on Dominik Szoboszlai. The result marks a severe blow for Arne Slot’s side, who surrendered top spot in Group C.

Key Moments and Injuries

• Early Warnings: Galatasaray hit the woodwork twice in the first half, including a 21-second opener. Baris Aper Yilmaz forced a save from Alisson before Liverpool squandered chances from corners.

• Alisson’s Injury Nightmare: The goalkeeper was forced off in the 66th minute after colliding with Osimhen, leaving Liverpool short-handed. Team-mate Hugo Ekitike also limped off shortly after, compounding Liverpool’s defensive frailties.

• VAR Controversy: Liverpool appeared to have a penalty awarded in the 89th minute after a challenge on Ryan Gravenberch, but VAR overturned the decision, ruling out the spot kick due to a obstruction call.

Substitutions: Slot made surprise changes with Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak coming on, but their impact was muted. Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez missed clear chances in the second half.

Looking Ahead: Liverpool must regroup quickly ahead of a crucial Premier League clash against Manchester City. Their defensive errors and injury woes have raised questions ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Attacker-turned-defender Baris Aper Yilmaz scored for Galatasaray, while Liverpool’s leading scorer, Nico Lewandowski, did not feature after the Portuguese coach rotated his squad.

“It’s a huge setback, but we’ll learn from this,” Slot said post-match. “We know we need to improve defensively, but it’s tough when injuries hit like this.”