Galatasaray have confirmed Noa Lang suffered a serious thumb injury against Liverpool and is to undergo surgery. Lang was carried off on a stretcher after colliding with the advertising boards in the closing stages of his side’s 4-0 Champions League defeat at Anfield on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old went down in agony upon seeing the damage to his finger, which he received immediate medical treatment for. The forward had to be given oxygen before being stretchered off the field of play, and his manager Okan Buruk confirmed afterward that he had been taken straight to hospital.
And in a fresh update issued in the early hours of Thursday morning, Galatasaray confirmed the injury picked up by Lang was 'serious' and would require surgery.
“In the second half of the same match, our player Noa Lang, who suffered an injury, sustained a serious cut to his right thumb, and it is planned for him to undergo surgery in Liverpool in the coming hours with the participation of our medical team,” an update revealed.
Lang had been introduced as a half-time substitute for Victor Osimhen after the Nigerian striker had hurt his wrist in an early challenge.
In the same update, Galatasaray confirmed that Osimhen had suffered a fracture in his right forearm, and a decision regarding surgery will be made in the coming days following further evaluations.
The statement, posted on X, read: “In the first half of our away match against Liverpool in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg, our player Victor Osimhen took a blow to his arm and completed the first half, but following checks at halftime, he was not played in the second half due to the risk of a fracture in his arm.
“After the match, under the supervision of our medical team, examinations at the hospital revealed a fracture in our player's right forearm, and it was casted. A decision regarding surgery will be made in the coming days following further evaluations.”
The Turkish side had taken a 1-0 lead into the second leg at Anfield after an impressive performance in Istanbul, but they were simply second best against Arne Slot’s men at Anfield.
Dominik Szoboszlai fired his side ahead midway through the first-half before quick-fire goals from Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah set up a quarter-final tie with Paris Saint-Germain.
"I liked the way we played, and I liked the way we pressed, also the reaction from the fans when Galatasaray were trying to do what I expected them to," Slot said post-match. "Being on the floor and trying to kill the momentum.
"The only complaint is throughout the whole season, we've had so many chances where we've not scored, that's the only thing. The positive thing is we've had good halves and then spells of ten minutes where we've usually given a moment for the other team to score, but today nothing dropped.
"I don't think they had a chance. We kept on creating and creating. It's pleasing to keep a clean sheet, we've not conceded many chances, but we concede goals, but tonight we didn't even concede a chance."
