‘It’s just a terrible, terrible decision’ - Ex-Barcelona star slams VAR for disallowing Osimhen’s goal against Liverpool

The controversial moment occurred in the first leg of the round-of-16 tie in Istanbul. Galatasaray secured a 1-0 victory thanks to an early Mario Lemina strike, but the match was overshadowed by a contentious VAR intervention involving the Nigerian striker.

In the second half, Osimhen appeared to have given the Turkish champions a two-goal cushion. After a cross into the Liverpool area was poorly handled by defender Ibrahima Konaté, Osimhen pounced on the loose ball and fired it home.

However, a subsequent VAR review led to the goal being overturned. Officials determined that Galatasaray winger Barış Alper Yılmaz was offside in the build-up. 

Despite Yılmaz not touching the ball, the officiating team concluded he had interfered with play by challenging Liverpool's Andy Robertson.

Lineker, speaking on "The Rest Is Football" podcast, expressed his disbelief at the ruling of Osimhen’s goal. 

"I’ve watched it 50 times and it’s absurd," Lineker stated. "There’s no impact [from Yilmaz]. It’s just a terrible, terrible decision and VAR just waved it on."

He argued that the player deemed offside did not influence the outcome of the play. "There was no interference whatsoever," he insisted. "They got it completely wrong. 

“I’ve double-checked it a thousand times. There was no contact... He had no impact on the game whatsoever."

The decision cost Osimhen a significant personal achievement, as the goal would have seen him equal Burak Yılmaz's record for the most goals scored for Galatasaray in a single Champions League campaign.

The second leg is set for Wednesday, March 18, at the iconic Anfield Stadium. The Reds now face the challenge of needing to win by a two-goal margin to secure a direct path to the quarter-finals.

Conversely, Galatasaray will head to England with confidence, knowing a draw will be enough to see them through. A one-goal loss would still take the tie to extra time or a penalty shootout.