Arne Slots Liverpool were hoping to get back on track after losing to Crystal Palace in the Premier League the previous weekend, but Victor Osimhen’s penalty was the lone goal in their 1-0 Champions League loss to Galatasary on Tuesday. It was far from ideal for the Merseysiders, who travelled to Turkey hoping to make amends for their recent poor record.
After Dominik Szoboszlai fouled Baris Yilmaz in the first 15 minutes, Osimhen stepped up to the spot and drilled a shot from 12 yards out right down the middle. The Nigerian talisman’s strike opened and ended the scoring, giving Alisson Becker little to no chance as Slot and Co ran out of replies inside a raucous RAMS Park.
After the game, Ilkay Gundogan told a reporter that one of Liverpool’s stars asked him about the atmosphere. From the first minute of the European tie to the closing embers, the home crowd was on their feet cheering on Okan Buruk’s side – and it worked. The level of loudness, however, was definitely too much for a particularly inquisitive Liverpool player, as Gundogan said.
Watch the highlights of Galatasaray’s 1-0 win over Liverpool below:
Gundogan Reveals Atmosphere Question Asked By Liverpool Player
With former Arsenal player Lucas Torreira and former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Mario Lemina behind him, Gundogan took up position behind the striker, who converted the penalty on this occasion. The seasoned German was flanked by Yunus Akgun on the right and Baris Yilmaz on the left, and he put in an excellent performance as his team won 1-0.
“If you were here tonight, and you see the atmosphere – actually, one of the opponent players came to me in the game and asked me if the atmosphere is always like that,” said Gundogan, who was born in Gelsenkirchen. The reporter was stunned by the midfielder’s statement and asked him for clarification. “A Liverpool player asked you?” he asked the 34-year-old, who remained unidentified.
“During the game, yes. There are no names, but you can tell how fantastic it was for them to perform in front of that crowd.”
Galatasaray’s home stadium, located on the northern outskirts of Istanbul, has a capacity of just north of 50,000, yet the Turkish club’s fans can make sounds that match any in international football. The red and yellow flares, paired with their infamous ‘Welcome to Hell’ tifo, create a terrifying atmosphere for those willing to labour for a result. The atmosphere is truly deafening.
Galatasaray fans, known as Rams Park for sponsorship reasons, have one of the best atmospheres in the beautiful game, which can make a difference for teams that visit as strong favourites. That is vividly demonstrated by Liverpool’s recent, albeit tight, 1-0 loss.
Liverpool are not at their peak right now, despite a summer of heavy expenditure that saw the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak come, and have suffered back-to-back losses for the first time under Slot’s leadership. They will next face Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea before hosting Manchester United when they return from the October international break.
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