Mohamed Salah scored his 50th Champions League goal as Liverpool overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a 4-0 win over Galatasaray at Anfield. The Egyptian became the first African player to reach the milestone despite missing a penalty. Arne Slot praised Salah's mentality after the match.
Liverpool secured a convincing 4-0 victory over Galatasaray in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Anfield, advancing 4-1 on aggregate. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Istanbul, the Reds leveled the score in the 25th minute through Dominik Szoboszlai's smart finish from a corner routine. Mohamed Salah missed a penalty just before half-time, saved by Galatasaray goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, but Liverpool dominated possession and chances throughout the first half, with Cakir making further saves against Salah and Florian Wirtz. In the second half, Salah provided a perfectly weighted assist for Hugo Ekitike's goal six minutes after the restart. Ryan Gravenberch then scored from the rebound after another Salah shot was denied by Cakir. An own goal by Wilfried Singo was ruled out for offside by VAR. Salah etched his name in history with a trademark curling finish, becoming the first African to score 50 Champions League goals, assisted by Wirtz. He later hit the crossbar before being substituted with an apparent injury. Arne Slot hailed Salah's response to the missed penalty, telling TNT Sports: “I think it says a lot about his mentality that he missed the penalty just before half-time... And then to come out second half and perform like that, the great assist on Hugo and the goal he scored was a trademark of him... credits to him and to the whole team.” Liverpool now face holders Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals next month.
