Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool Highlights, Champions League: Lemina Heads Turkish Giants To First Leg Lead

Hello, football fans! This is the start of our live blog covering Galatasaray’s first leg against Liverpool in Istanbul. Stay tuned for pre-match updates and line-ups as they are released.

• Fixture: Galatasaray vs Liverpool

• Series: UEFA Champions League 2025-26

• Venue: Rams Park, Istanbul

• Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026

• Time: 11:15 PM IST

Starting XI: Ugurcan Cakir; Wilfriend Singo, Davinson Sanchez, Abdulkerim Bardakci (c), Ismail Jakobs; Lucas Torreira, Mario Lemina; Baris Alper Yilmaz, Gabriel Sara, Noa Lang; Victor Osimhen.

Bench: Batuhan Sen (gk), Gunay Guvenc (gk), Roland Sallai, Erem Elmali, Kaan Ayhan, Sacha Boey, Leroy Sane, Yunus Akgun, Ilkay Gundogan, Ahmed Kutucu, Yaser Asprilla, Mauro Icardi.

Starting XI: Giorgi Mamardashvili; Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk (c), Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz; Hugo Ekitike.

Bench: Freddie Woodman (gk), Kornel Misciur, Andrew Robertson, Amara Nallo, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo, Jeremie Frimpong, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morisson, Rio Ngumoha.

Both sets of players are out and take their formation on the pitch, and Galatasaray get the ball rolling. The hosts are on the attack right away, smashing a long ball that is easily gathered by Mamardashvili.

It has been a breathless start for Liverpool. The visitors have been given posession deep in Galatasaray's half by the Turkish side. Wirtz blasted wide from the edge of the box after sloppy play by Cakir, while there's another scramble in the box that the defence finally clears. Anything but a comfortable start from the Turkish side.

Lemina heads Galatasaray ahead against the run of play!! It comes straight from a corner, which finds Osimhen in the box. The Nigerian outjumps everyone and gets a good header to find Lemina on the far post, who guides it past Mamardashvili into the back of the net. Shambolic defending by the visitors.

Absolutely aweful defending by Liverpool, who almost concede again. Van Dijk's headed clearance of a cross from the left goes straight to Jacobs, who floats in a wonderful ball towards the middle. Osimhen again jumps over his marker and gets a good header, which goes just wide of the post.

Another big chance falls to Wirtz, and the German stings the palm of Cakir with a sidefooted shot from inside the box this time. It was a rather straightforward stop for the keeper, with Wirtz's shot having more power than placement. Still, much more positive from Liverpool.

A very good save by Mamarshavili to palm away a curling cross by Lang that was instead destined to creep into the far corner. The resulting corner by Sara is again aimed at Osimhen, but the Liverpool defence get the danger away this time.

What a save by Mamardashvili!! Again, Liverpool's marking in the box is all over the plac as Sara's ball in the box finds Sanchez. The defender leaps high and gets a good dowwnards header. Mamardashvili is at full stretch to get a strong palm to put it behind.

We are past the half-hour mark, and both sides are trying to attack any chance they get. Sara almost wiggles through the Liverpool backline before someone puts in a challenge, and Kerkez then brings down Yilmaz near the flanks. The referee brandishes a yellow to the full-back.

Just under four and half minutes of normal time remaining in the first half. Ekitike does well to play the ball towards Kerkez on the far side, who heads it back towards Wirtz. However, the German fails to test Cakir with his effort.

The referee blows his whistle to bring the first half to an end. It has been a half of football littered with chances at both ends, but only Lemina has made his count, which means that Galatasaray have a slender lead going into the tunnel at the break.

The referee blows his whistle, and Liverpool get the second half underway. No half-time changes for either side.

Massive chance for Liverpool!! A long throw from the right by Gomez lands in the middle of the Galatasaray box, where Mac Allister is waiting. The Argentine has a first time shot that bounces and goes just wide of the left post.

Lang floats in a good ball from the left with both Lemina and Osimhen attacking it, but the it's a bit too high for the pair. Galatasaray try again from the right, but Sara's pass to Yilmaz catches the latter in an offside position.

As we approach the hour mark, Arne Slot finally turn to his bench. He makes a change at both flanks, with Robertson coming in as a like-for-like swap at left-back for Kerkez. Frimpong surprisingly replaces Salah at the right wing position.

Terrible defending by Konate, with Lang squaring it back for Osimhen to poke it into an empty net. The Nigerian wheels away in celebration, but the flag goes up on the far side. VAR sides with the linesman, and the goal won't count. The home crowd evidently does not agree.

An outstanding save by Cakir to deny Ekitike and keep Galatasaray's lead intact! A long ball over the top finds the run of Ekitike perfectly, who has a first-time shot from close range. Cakir rushed out perfectly before making himself big, keeping the shot out with his body.

Szobsoszlai floats in a corner from the left. Cakir fails to punch it away, and it seems to roll off the goalkeeper's back and then off van Dijk or Konate before going past the goalline. There's a lengthy VAR check going on.

Replays show that the ball had hit Konate's arm before going into the back of the net, and so VAR has chalked it off. Galatasaray's slender lead remains intact.

Moments after making a double change, Galatasaray have another headed effort fly just wide of the post. This time it came from Torreira, who diverted Sara's set-piece just over the crossbar. Likely would have been flagged offside had that gone in.

Osimhen shows off his power to go past Konate before firing a shot. It is deflected behind for a corner, which Sara takes. Mamardashvili does very well to punch it away for a throw at the other end. It's getting nervy in Istanbul!

Decent chance for Liverpool, with Szboszlai's ball into the box finding Ekitike. The French striker does well to leap over the defender, but his header is a bit wayward and flies over the crossbar.

The full time whistle goes, and Galatasaray will take a one-goal lead to Anfield next week. It has been an extremely entertaining game with chances galore for both teams, but Lemina's early header remains the difference.