Alisson and Ekitike forced off with injury concerns as Galatasaray deepen Liverpool’s woes | OneFootball

Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League at Rams Park on Tuesday evening.Galatasaray nearly opened the scoring in the second minute when goalkeeper Alisson Becker thwarted Baris Alper Yilmaz’s effort.Seven minutes in, Hugo Ekitike flashed his header wide from Cody Gakpo ‘s cross as Liverpool settled into the game.Ekitike should have opened the scoring for the Reds when he squandered a big one-on-one chance, and Gakpo’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Ismail Jakobs.Moments later, Galatasaray scored from the penalty spot, as Victor Osimhen stepped up to convert, becoming the highest-scoring Nigerian in the Champions League.After the half-hour mark, goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir parried Florian Wirtz’s shot away before Ibrahima Konate headed a corner wide two minutes later.Just before halftime, Ryan Gravenberch carelessly lost possession, allowing Galatasaray to take a free-kick just outside the penalty area, but the hosts could not hit the target.Liverpool got the first chance after the break, with Ekitike forcing Cakir to make a save, but Galatasaray got the best opportunity early on in the second half.A poor pass from Konate was intercepted by Osimhen, who raced through on goal, only to be denied by Alisson. The save forced the Brazilian goalkeeper to be brought off due to an injury.With Liverpool trailing, manager Arne Slot made three changes after the hour mark, bringing on Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Conor Bradley.Just after coming on, Isak registered a shot on target, receiving a pass from Wirtz, but was denied by the goalkeeper.Liverpool struggled to break down the hosts’ defence as the game continued. Just before the 90th minute, Liverpool were awarded a penalty, which was later overturned by the VAR.The defeat marks the Reds’ second consecutive loss this season. They will need an improved performance to avoid losing to Chelsea on Saturday.