Istanbul: Galatasaray secured a valuable 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie at Rams Park in Istanbul on Tuesday evening. The match unfolded in a similar fashion to their encounter in the group stage last September, when the Turkish side scored the winning goal after just 15 minutes.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Galatasaray opened the scoring early in the seventh minute when Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen headed a corner from Sara towards Gabonese forward Mario Lemina, who finished from close range. A second goal for Galatasaray was disallowed in the 62nd minute, again scored by Osimhen, after French defender Ibrahima Konat© misjudged a back pass, allowing the Nigerian striker to tap it in easily. However, the assistant referee flagged for offside.

Liverpool found the back of the net in the 70th minute from a corner kick, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened to disallow the goal due to a handball by Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konat©. Galatasaray will face their English rivals again next week in the second leg at Anfield in England. The Turkish team needs a draw or a win to qualify for the quarterfinals, while Liverpool needs to win by two goals.