JAKARTA - Arne Slot regrets the performance of the referee and Liverpool's waste of opportunities in the Champions League 16-final defeat against Galatasaray on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, early morning WIB.
Mario Lemina's early header from a corner that was not closely guarded was the difference in Galatasaray's narrow 1-0 win over Liverpool in the first leg on a night of intense pressure in Istanbul, where the Reds lost by the same score in the league phase meeting, September 2025.
The situation could have been worse for Liverpool as Galatasaray tried to extend their lead, but the open nature of the game gave the visitors the chance to equalize or even take the lead ahead of next week's second leg at Anfield.
The Reds' manager, Arne Slot, said after the 100th game as a coach that his students were actually playing well. It's just that the final finish is a gaping problem.
"We started the game very well, even better than three months ago. We had three or four great moments."
"The biggest moment was when Florian (Wirtz) almost got an open goal chance, but he couldn't finish the ball."
"We were not able to score. As before, their first attack ended in a corner kick and we had to admit how they played as if it was the last chance in their lives when they got the chance."
"It's obviously something we can learn from. Sometimes we get chances and it seems like we think we're going to score another 10 goals."
"It's already a difficult place to visit, but when you're 0-1 down, it makes it even more difficult," said Arne Slot.
The Reds could actually equalize. However, Ibrahima Konate's goal was annulled by VAR, Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez, for handball during the scramble for the ball from a corner kick in the second half.
Arne Slot thinks there are probably as many things that can go wrong for his team as there were in their visit to Galatasaray.
The Liverpool coach believes things will be more normal in home games after referee Jesus Gil Manzano's decision upset him in Turkey, where he felt the atmosphere affected his performance.
"It's always very difficult to speak to the referee in a situation like that because they communicate with the VAR so have to listen to what's being said."
"If it is true that the goal was disallowed, which is difficult to judge because I have heard different opinions from people, it is not entirely clear, but let's say the decision was right."
"Then I was even more frustrated about the fact that every free kick and corner we took, if we just looked at the Galatasaray player, the referee was giving a free kick to Galatasaray."
"If you then look at how much they pulled Virgil's shirt (van Dijk) before the ball hit Ibou's arm (Ibrahima Konate), then it can be said that we are not the only ones impressed by the atmosphere here today."
"In the English League, there are much more things that are allowed than in the Champions League. That's why I'm very surprised it wasn't a penalty."
"The reason is, in all the other incidents where he thought he saw something when we committed a foul, he was so quick to blow his whistle and give Galatasaray a free kick."
"Then really, really, really shocking the same referee in another incident when they commit a foul says he'll accept this completely."
"If you look at the whole 90 minutes, I don't think I can be surprised by that decision," said Arne Slot.
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