Liverpool lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash on Tuesday night in Istanbul.
Mario Lemina scored the only goal of the match in the seventh minute at RAMS Park, giving the Turkish side a narrow advantage ahead of the return leg at Anfield on March 18.
Galatasaray took the lead from a corner when Victor Osimhen beat Joe Gomez in the air and flicked the ball across goal. Lemina reacted quickest and headed home from close range.
Liverpool had started brightly. Florian Wirtz nearly opened the scoring inside three minutes after intercepting a loose pass from goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, but his shot went just wide.
Despite seeing more of the ball after going behind, Liverpool struggled to create clear chances in a loud and hostile atmosphere.
ALSO READ: Bam Adebayo surpasses Kobe Bryant to become second-highest scorer in an NBA game with 83 points
Alexis Mac Allister fired wide early in the second half, while Dominik Szoboszlai tested Cakir from distance.
Galatasaray almost doubled their lead when Osimhen capitalised on a defensive mistake, but the Nigerian striker blasted his shot over the bar.
Liverpool thought they had equalised in the second half when the ball went in from a Szoboszlai corner. However, VAR ruled it out after deciding Ibrahima Konate used his arm in the build-up.
Substitute Cody Gakpo came closest for Liverpool late on, sending a shot inches wide of the post.
The defeat came in Arne Slot’s 100th game in charge of Liverpool and leaves the English club needing a comeback at Anfield to reach the quarter-finals.