Mario Lemina decided the contest for Galatasaray as they secured a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Tuesday.
The midfielder’s header in the first half separated the teams at Rams Park in an exciting match that produced four big chances overall, 30 total shots and two goals that were disallowed.
Florian Wirtz passed up a huge chance just 104 seconds into the game, shooting wide after Lemina gave the ball straight to him. However, the Galatasaray midfielder made up for it at the other end, nodding home from close range following a cleverly executed corner.
Wirtz wasted another opportunity shortly afterward after neat build-up involving Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Alex Mac Allister, while Giorgi Marmardashvili produced two outstanding saves to keep out efforts from Noa Lang and Davinson Sanchez.
Early in the second half, Dominik Szoboszlai tested Ugurcan Cakir, who made the save, before Mac Allister fired wide of the left post. Liverpool were fortunate again when Victor Osimhen had a goal ruled out for offside against Baris Yilmaz during the build-up.
Liverpool then had a goal disallowed themselves after Ibrahima Konate was judged to have handled the ball from a corner before it deflected in off Wilfried Singo, while Cakir later prevented a possible own goal from Sanchez as Galatasaray protected their first-leg lead.
Data Debrief: Angel Gabriel Sara shines in Turkey
It is hard to believe the scoreline ended 1-0, with Galatasaray recording 1.44 expected goals (xG) compared to Liverpool’s 1.28, as both teams registered 15 shots each.
Gabriel Sara stood out for the hosts, setting up a match-high four chances, winning eight of his 16 duels (only surpassed by Ekitike – 10) and successfully completing four of his five dribble attempts (second to Ekitike – five).
It was a subdued outing for Salah, who failed to register a single shot in what was his 81st Champions League appearance for Liverpool, the highest tally for any player in the club’s history.
