How Turkish media reacted to Galatasaray's 'horror show' loss to Liverpool

Galatasaray simply couldn't deal with Liverpool at Anfield, with the Turkish champions blown away by the Reds as they exited the Champions League in the last-16

Galatasaray had a night to forget as it was blown away by Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

To say Galatasaray’s visit to Anfield didn’t go to plan would be an understatement.

The Turkish champions had dreams of finishing the job off against Liverpool after claiming a second win over the six-time European champions in Istanbul, and securing a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. They barely laid a glove on the Reds though as Arne Slot’s side blew them away with a resounding 4-0 victory, thanks to an 11-minute second-half blitz.

Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah well and truly ended the visitors’ hopes after Dominik Szoboszlai’s first-half opener. And just to add insult to injury, there were... well, injuries.

Victor Osimhen had to be withdrawn at half-time, having never looked comfortable after injuring his arm in a challenge with Ibrahima Konate. His replacement couldn’t see the game out either, with Noa Lang sent to hospital after a horrible moment with the advertising hoardings.

It’s no surprise then that the Turkish media hasn’t exactly greeted the game with too much enthusiasm. The Daily Sabah summed things up with their headline, describing it as a “horror show” for Galatasaray.

“Galatasaray’s hopes of a dramatic Champions League comeback were crushed at Anfield on Wednesday, and the night turned worse as two of the club’s key attackers suffered serious injuries during a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool, leaving the Turkish champions out of Europe with a 4-1 aggregate loss,” the outlet wrote.

Galatasaray suffered a 'horror show' at Anfield, according to the Turkish media(Image: Getty Images)

The Daily Sabah went on to say: “The injuries compounded a night of disappointment for Galatasaray, who had taken a 1-0 advantage in the first leg in Istanbul through an early goal from Mario Lemina. Liverpool, however, turned the tie on its head with a ruthless second-leg display.”

Saraymedya was a little more reserved in its analysis, writing: “Galatasaray’s effort was insufficient,” and adding: “Galatasaray failed to deliver an effective performance throughout the match.”

And the last word goes to Fotomac’s Zeki Uzundurukan, who knew the writing was on the wall at half-time, even after Salah saw his penalty saved.

“Seeing our poor performance in the first half, I thought, 'Oh no, Liverpool are going to pull ahead in the second half,'” he wrote.

“I shouldn't have said that. But there was a grim reality: we were playing terribly!

“Even Okan Buruk's correct substitutions at the start of the second half couldn't add an iota of rhythm and tempo to Galatasaray's mediocre football. Just like in the first half, Liverpool dominated the second, and we just watched as a team."

The journalist continued: "Liverpool came at our goal like a torrent of water. They relentlessly attacked. They were like a volcanic army. They descended upon us like a nightmare. With their superior quality and strength, they snatched the tie from us."