There was no late reprieve this time for Liverpool as the English champions fell to a 1-0 defeat at Turkish giants Galatasaray – their second on the trot after a Premier League defeat at Crystal Palace.
Chelsea required an own goal to down Jose Mourinho’s Benfica 1-0 on his return to Stamford Bridge, while Tottenham came from two down in Norway to finish level 2-2 with Bodo/Glimt.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot left Mohamed Salah and striker recruit Alexander Isak on the bench to start their match in front of a raucous crowd and they lost goalkeeper Alisson Becker to injury in the second half. He will miss the weekend’s Premier League clash with Chelsea.
Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen scored the only goal of the game on 16 minutes when French referee Clement Turpin ruled Dominik Szoboszlai had fouled Baris Alper Yilmaz.
In the dying stages Liverpool, who topped the Champions League group standing last season without defeat, looked to been given a chance to avoid a match day 2 loss when Turpin awarded a penalty after Ibrahima Konate went down in the box. The decision was overturned by the VAR.
“I hate losing but there shouldn’t be panic,” said Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk.
Slot added: “Again, disappointed. For me, this was a different performance on and off the ball [than Crystal Palace]. First half we played quite well and had a big chance to go 1-0 up.
“It is difficult to compare this situation to before. We are sometimes a bit out-smarted in situations like this and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation. They make a 20% penalty a 100% penalty, which is very smart from them.
“We are not so far [off the level shown last season]. This is sometimes what the schedule can bring, Galatasaray is not a simple game. We now play Chelsea away, a difficult game.
“The margins are small and they were last season. For the second time in a row we are on the wrong side.
“I saw a lot of things in the first half, but the second half was much less. I don’t think in the second half there was a lot of playing time, their striker was on the floor four or five times. It was difficult to get momentum in the game.”
Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick and Harry Kane netted twice as European heavyweights Real Madrid and Bayern Munich enjoyed big wins over tournament newcomers.
Madrid shrugged off any travel weariness in a 5-0 win at Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan and Bayern cruised to a 5-1 win at Pafos in Cyprus.
Atletico Madrid also romped to a 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt with coach Diego Simeone watching from the stands following his suspension for an altercation with a Liverpool fan in the team’s previous Champions League game.
Jose Mourinho blew a kiss to Chelsea supporters on his return to Stamford Bridge with his Benfica team. An own goal from Richard Rios decided the result, 1-0 to the Londoners who had Joao Pedro sent off.
Tottenham needed a late own goal to escape Bodø/Glimt with a 2-2 draw from the Norwegian champion’s first home game in the main stage of the competition.
Marseille beat visiting Ajax Amsterdam 4-0, Lautaro Martinez scored twice to lead Inter Milan to a 3-0 win at home over Slavia Prague and Atalanta came from behind to beat Club Brugge 2-1.
The Roarhttps://www.theroar.com.au/2025/10/01/shouldnt-be-panic-liverpool-skipper-calls-for-calm-after-cl-defeat-chelsea-see-off-mourinho-spurs-lucky-escape/‘Shouldn’t be panic’: Liverpool skipper calls for calm after CL defeat, Chelsea see off Mourinho, Spurs’ lucky escape
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