Galatasaray boss makes Liverpool 'unexpected' night claim and 'one of the worst we have encountered'
Liverpool came from behind in the Champions League last-16 tie to move into the quarter-finals with a 4-0 victory in the second leg.
Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk had no complaints that his side crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Liverpool.
The Reds produced an emphatic turnaround in the last-16 tie, having suffered a 1-0 loss in the first leg in Istanbul last week. A 4-0 triumph at Anfield, courtesy of goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Mo Salah, moved Liverpool into the quarter-finals of the European Cup. They will face holders Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight.
Galatasaray had beaten Liverpool twice in the Champions League, having won 1-0 in the league phase. But they were well and truly swept aside on Merseyside, with Arne Slot’s men delivering a high-octane performance.
Buruk felt that the visitors’ game-plan was impacted by the early injury to talisman Victor Osimhen, who was in discomfort for much of the first half and substituted at the break. Buruk labelled referee Szymon Marciniak as one of the worst he has encountered - but did not take any credit away from Liverpool’s display.
“An unexpected night, perhaps one of the best games for them this season,” said Buruk. “The beginning of the game the opponent 4-1-3-2, Salah and Ekitike becoming two strikers and on the wings they tried to defend with [Florian] Wirtz and Szoboszlai.
“Psychologically losing the game, the breaking point Osimhen’s injury, he was thinking of his arm too much. At the beginning, we were a pressing team in the first half and we had lower self confidence. The blocks seemed like a foul today. We were expecting one of the best referees in the world but [he was] one of the worst we have encountered.
“Liverpool’s performance, it was a game they deserved. I would like to congratulate them but what we wanted, we couldn’t do. The beginning of the second half, we are starting to play better and we conceded the second and third goal and we have lost the game. We are playing against a very good team with very good players. Playing here is not easy. I would like to congratulate players but the home game and away game, the performance has been very different.