Juventus collapsed against Galatasaray in a match featuring 7 goals

Juventus experienced their initial loss in the UEFA Champions League during Luciano Spalletti’s tenure, falling 2-5 to Galatasaray in the play-off first leg.

Making their first appearance in the Champions League knockout stage since the 2013/14 season, the home team was determined to make an impact with the support of their fans and started the game enthusiastically. Within the first 10 minutes, Yunus Akgün nearly scored with a shot from outside the box that narrowly missed the post. However, Galatasaray took the lead before the 15th minute. Juventus’s Kenan Yıldız was more threatening in the final third than in defense, and his turnover allowed Gabriel Sara to strike into a tight corner after the ball bounced perfectly for him.

Nonetheless, the Turkish side’s advantage lasted less than a minute as Juventus immediately responded. Uğurcan Çakır made a superb save on Pierre Kalulu’s header but couldn’t stop Teun Koopmeiners from scoring on the rebound. Both teams then created chances continuously. Key striker Victor Osimhen started to make his presence felt with a volley that sailed over the bar before forcing Di Gregorio to make a diving save.

Despite Galatasaray’s strong performance late in the first half, with Di Gregorio denying Akgün and Rolland Sallai’s shot from a corner going over the crossbar, they were trailing at halftime. Koopmeiners remained a thorn in the home side’s side by combining beautifully in a one-two with the “false number 9” Weston McKennie before finishing with a classy shot into the top corner.

The second half started similarly to the first, with Galatasaray continuing to press high. This time, they scored two goals within the first 15 minutes to regain the lead. The equalizer followed a similar pattern to Koopmeiners’s first goal: Di Gregorio could only parry Barış Yılmaz’s shot into the path of Noa Lang, who easily finished the rebound. Then, although Davinson Sánchez did not make perfect contact from Sara’s free-kick, he still managed to direct the ball into the corner of the net.

The situation worsened for the “Bianconeri” as they were reduced to 10 men for over 20 minutes after Cabal received a second yellow card for a foul on Yılmaz. With Juventus repeatedly making mistakes, Galatasaray quickly extended their lead. A pass from Khéphren Thuram put Lloyd Kelly under pressure, allowing Osimhen to steal the ball and assist Lang to complete his brace.

Galatasaray brought Mauro Icardi off the bench, but it was another substitute, Sacha Boey, who sealed the victory with a precise shot from a tight angle. Coach Okan Buruk’s team holds a strong advantage going into the return leg in Turin, and having lost only once in their last seven encounters with Juventus, they are confident about advancing.

Meanwhile, the “Old Lady” has won only 1 of their last 6 matches across all competitions and now face the risk of elimination in the play-off round for the second consecutive season.