Alisson Injury: Liverpool Loses to Galatasaray

London, Oct 1 (AP) Liverpool's goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, sustained an injury during a 1-0 Champions League defeat against Galatasaray, forcing him to leave the match. This incident marks the Premier League champions' second consecutive loss under the management of Arne Slot. The Brazilian international got hurt while diving to save a low shot from Victor Osimhen in the 54th minute, quickly indicating his injury to the Liverpool bench. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but Slot has confirmed that Alisson will not participate in the upcoming Premier League match against Chelsea scheduled for Saturday. "It's never positive if you go off like this," Slot stated. "You can be sure he's not playing on Saturday, and we'll have to see how long it will take." Georgia's Giorgi Mamardashvili is expected to take Alisson's place, having already filled in once during the match. Alisson has experienced injury-related absences over the past two seasons, including a significant hamstring issue last year that sidelined him for over two months. Alisson's injury added to an already frustrating night for Liverpool, who were coming off a 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Under Slot's leadership since summer 2024, Liverpool had only once before faced two consecutive defeats — in March against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and then to Newcastle in the English League Cup final. Victor Osimhen scored the decisive 16th-minute penalty after Dominik Szoboszlai's foul on Galatasaray’s Baris Alper Yilmaz. Although Liverpool was awarded a late penalty in the 88th minute, it was overturned after a VAR review. This season, the Reds initially secured seven consecutive victories across all competitions, including five league wins and a Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid. However, they were not fully convincing while integrating new stars like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, who were part of a remarkable $570 million summer expenditure. Crystal Palace and Galatasaray exposed Liverpool's vulnerabilities, yet Slot remains optimistic that the team is "not so far" from last season's form that saw them dominate the Premier League. "There shouldn't be panic," Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's captain, noted. "But improvement is needed."

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