UEFA Champions League — Liverpool loses to Galatasaray; Atletico Madrid beats Tottenham

Mario Lemina’s early header gave Galatasaray a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, keeping the tie level after an enthralling match in which both sides saw goals disallowed.

The Turkish champions struck after seven minutes when Lemina nodded home after Victor Osimhen headed a corner back across goal, giving the side a precious advantage ahead of the second leg at Anfield.

The result mirrored the encounter between the sides in the league stage in September, when Galatasaray also won 1-0 thanks to an Osimhen penalty.

Both teams thought they had scored late, but this was denied by the referees.

Just after the hour mark, Osimhen tapped the ball into an open goal, but Liverpool were spared as Baris had ruled Alper Yilmaz offside in the build-up.

Liverpool found the net in the 70th minute and forced the ball over the line after a scramble into the goalmouth, with the effort ruled out after a VAR review as the ball had apparently struck Ibrahima ‌Konate’s hand before ending up in the net.

Galatasaray had reached the last 16 after beating Juventus 7–5 in the play-offs, while Liverpool qualified straight after finishing third in the league stage.

Atletico Madrid defeated Tottenham 5-2

Atletico Madrid mauled Tottenham Hotspur in a stunning first-half blitz on Tuesday to record a 5-2 victory in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, leaving the Premier League side with a mountain to climb in London.

The visitors’ 22-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky had a night to forget, his first appearance since October and only his third of the season.

Marcos Llorente struck after six minutes when Kinsky slipped while clearing the ball and Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead in the 14th when Micky van de Ven also lost his balance.

A minute later, Julian Alvarez walked in the third inning after Kinsky made an error, the first time a team had been up by three goals in a Champions League knockout match.

After Kinsky was replaced by Guglielmo Vicario, Atletico added a fourth when Robin Le Normand’s header crossed the line after a rebound from Griezmann’s free-kick. Tottenham defender Pedro ⁠Porro reduced the deficit after 26 minutes.

Alvarez then raced from his own half to score the hosts’ fifth goal in the 55th before Dominic Solanke punished a mistake by Atletico keeper Jan Oblak to give Spurs a second goal.

“We are very happy with the win and the three-goal lead, but there are still 90 minutes to play on their home pitch,” Alvarez told Movistar Plus.

«We know what this competition is like. Every detail counts, it won’t be easy, but we would like to be in the quarter-finals.»

Published on March 11, 2026