Galatasaray Stun Liverpool with Controversial Penalty in Champions League Clash

On September 30th, 2025, Liverpool suffered their second consecutive defeat under new manager Arne Slot, losing 1-0 to Galatasaray in their Champions League group stage match. This comes just days after their first Premier League loss of the season against Crystal Palace.

Slot made several changes to his starting lineup, dropping star players Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak to the bench. The experimental lineup, which included Jeremie Frimpong on the right wing and Hugo Ekitike up front, struggled to create clear-cut chances.

The turning point came in the 16th minute when Dominik Szoboszlai was judged to have impeded Baris Alper Yilmaz in the box, leading to a penalty that was converted by Victor Osimhen. To make matters worse, Liverpool then lost goalkeeper Alisson Becker to an injury in the 56th minute, further compounding their woes.

Slot brought on Salah and Isak in the second half in an attempt to spark a comeback, but Liverpool were unable to find an equalizer. The defeat leaves them with work to do in the Champions League, with a tough run of fixtures against Chelsea and Arsenal coming up in the Premier League.