UCL: South Africa’s Bartlett blames Galatasaray’s 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Osimhen’s injury
Sport UCL: South Africa’s Bartlett blames Galatasaray’s 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Osimhen’s injury Published on March 19, 2026 By John Owen Nwachukwu googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1500386953281-8'); }); Former South Africa star, Shaun Bartlett, South, has attributed Galatasaray’s 4-0 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League round of sixteen second leg on Wednesday night to Victor Osimhen’s early injury during the match. The Turkish team had a hard time, especially in their attacking plays, because Osimhen got injured early on. Liverpool managed to reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League by defeating the Turkish team, with a score of 4-0 at their home stadium, Anfield. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1524595905268-5'); }); Liverpool scored their goals through Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitiké, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah. Galatasaray’s chances were greatly affected when their top player, Victor Osimhen, had to leave the game early. Eleven minutes into the game, the former African Footballer of the Year landed badly after going up for a header, and he took the hit on his right wrist as he hit the grass. Osimhen received treatment and returned with a bandage on his arm after a brief clash with Liverpool midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai. It was obvious that the injury was slowing him down, so he was replaced during the break. On SuperSport, Bartlett said Galatasaray had trouble, especially in attack, because Osimhen got injured early on. “I can’t recall a game where a team was so dominant in terms of attacking play. Salomon Kalou talked about it before. “It’s just unfortunate that they lost Victor Osimhen so early. He played for 45 minutes, but from the tenth minute on, when he hurt his arm, he didn’t seem to be fully involved in the game. “He’s one of the team’s most important players. Galatasaray really struggled to get into attacking mode, but you have to compliment Liverpool. “They haven’t done very well against Galatasaray before; I believe this is only the second time they’ve managed to beat them,” he said. Osimhen ended his Champions League season with seven goals and three assists in ten matches. Don't Miss UCL: They know when to raise it – Steven Gerrard names title winners You may like UCL: They know when to raise it – Steven Gerrard names title winners UCL: Osimhen taken off at half time of Liverpool vs Galatasaray clash UCL: They’re so good defensively – Danny Murphy picks club to win trophy UCL: Franck Ribery names biggest favourite to win trophy UCL: Deeney names two teams that will stop Arsenal from winning trophy UCL: Micah Richards snubs Real Madrid, names two teams to win trophy