Noa Lang’s sharp-shooting brace headlined a breathtaking second-half collapse by Juventus as Galatasaray overwhelmed the Italian giants 5-2 at Rams Park in Istanbul on Tuesday, handing Okan Buruk’s Turkish champions a commanding advantage heading into the second leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout round playoff next week in Turin.
The result was as emphatic as it was unexpected in its scale. Juventus, under the management of Italy’s national team head coach Luciano Spalletti, had actually looked composed and capable at the interval, leading 2-1 after Teun Koopmeiners cancelled out Gabriel Sara’s opener with a brace of his own. But a raucous Turkish crowd, a red card for Colombian full-back Juan Cabal, and a relentless Galatasaray attacking display turned what had been a competitive European tie into something close to a rout.
The hosts drew first blood on 15 minutes when Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara threaded a composed left-footed finish from just inside the penalty area to put Galatasaray ahead. The goal set off a roar in the packed Istanbul stadium and appeared to unsettle the Italian visitors momentarily.
Juventus’ response was swift, however. Goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir could only parry Khephren Thuram’s powerful header directly into the path of Koopmeiners, who needed no second invitation to tap home the equaliser just a minute after Sara’s opener. The Dutch midfielder then produced a moment of genuine class on 32 minutes, picking out the top corner from the edge of the box following a crisp one-two with United States international Weston McKennie. At half-time, Juventus led 2-1 and appeared to be in control of their own destiny.
That, as it turned out, was as good as the evening would get for the Bianconeri.
Galatasaray emerged from the tunnel with renewed intensity and were level within four minutes of the restart. Lang pounced on a loose ball in the six-yard box on 49 minutes to make it 2-2, and the stadium’s atmosphere shifted dramatically in the home side’s favour. Colombian centre-back Davinson Sanchez then nodded Galatasaray into the lead on the hour mark, converting a set piece to make it 3-2 and sending Rams Park into near-delirium.
The decisive moment came on 67 minutes when Cabal, already on a yellow card, received his second booking and was dismissed. Juventus, who had publicly complained only days earlier about what they considered an unfair red card in their 3-2 league defeat to Serie A leaders Inter Milan at the weekend, could find no credible basis for grievance this time. The dismissal was clear-cut, and it effectively ended the contest as a contest.
Lang completed his brace shortly after the sending off, extending the home side’s lead to 4-2. With five minutes remaining, substitute Sacha Boey put the seal on a memorable evening for Turkish football, lashing home from a tight angle to make it 5-2 and leave Juventus with a seemingly insurmountable deficit to overcome in the return fixture.
Tuesday’s result carries weight far beyond a single scoreline. For Galatasaray, it represents another statement of intent on the European stage. The Istanbul club, Turkey’s most decorated in continental competition, reached the Champions League knockout rounds this season after a strong group stage campaign. Under Buruk, who has steadily built a squad combining local talent with proven European experience, Galatasaray have demonstrated the capacity to compete at the highest level the game offers.
Juventus’s situation, by contrast, is more complicated. One of the founding institutions of European football, the Turin club is navigating a transitional period both on and off the pitch. Their 3-2 loss to Inter Milan at the weekend, and now this chastening result in Istanbul, suggests structural vulnerabilities in depth and defensive organisation that Spalletti, more accustomed to handling international squad management, will need to address urgently if Juventus are to salvage the tie in the second leg.
The scoreline means Galatasaray need only avoid a four-goal defeat in Turin to advance to the next round of the Champions League. Historically, clubs overturning a three-goal first-leg deficit in European competition is rare, though not without precedent. For Juventus, the task is monumental.
The second leg is scheduled for next week at Juventus’s home ground in Turin.
