
Galatasaray Stage Historic Comeback with Four Second-Half Goals to Beat Juventus 5-2
Rams Park in Istanbul witnessed an exhilarating football night as Turkish side Galatasaray hosted Italian giants Juventus in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff round. The match concluded with a dominant 5-2 victory for the home side, who staged a remarkable comeback.
The game began with early attacking pressure from the hosts, leading to the opening goal in the 15th minute through Gabriel Sara. However, Juventus quickly responded, with Teun Koopmeiners leveling the score just a minute later in the 16th minute. Koopmeiners then struck again in the 32nd minute, stunning the Turkish crowd with a second goal, sending "The Old Lady" into halftime with a 2-1 lead.
Galatasaray entered the second half with renewed determination. Noah Lang quickly equalized in the 48th minute, before defender Davinson Sánchez added the third goal in the 59th minute. Lang further extended Galatasaray's lead with his second goal of the night in the 74th minute, and substitute Sacha Boey sealed the emphatic victory with the fifth goal in the 86th minute.
The two teams will meet again in the second leg on Wednesday, February 25th. Juventus will aim to stage their own comeback, while Galatasaray will look to secure their aggregate lead and advance to the round of 16.