Dutch midfielder Noa Lang scored twice as Galatasaray thrashed Juventus 5-2 in a thrilling Champions League play-off first leg in Istanbul on Tuesday.
In a hostile, high-octane atmosphere, Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus went into the break 2-1 ahead after Teun Koopmeiners cancelled out Gabriel Sara’s early opener and struck again to put the visitors in front.
Sara had given the Turkish champions the lead on 15 minutes with a composed left-footed finish from just inside the area. Juventus responded almost immediately when goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir parried Khephren Thuram’s header into Koopmeiners’ path, allowing the Dutchman to tap home. Koopmeiners then curled a superb effort into the top corner on 32 minutes following a neat exchange with Weston McKennie.
But the contest turned dramatically after the interval.
Juan Cabal was sent off for a second booking in the 67th minute, compounding a disastrous second-half collapse for the Italian giants.
Lang levelled four minutes after the restart, pouncing on a loose ball inside the six-yard box. Davinson Sanchez then powered in a header on the hour mark to put Galatasaray ahead as the home crowd roared their side on.
With Juventus rattled and reduced to 10 men, Lang struck again after Victor Osimhen capitalised on a poor pass from Thuram, dispossessing Lloyd Kelly inside the box before the Dutchman finished clinically. Substitute Sacha Boey added a fifth late on, firing home from a tight angle to seal a commanding advantage for Okan Buruk’s side ahead of the return leg in Turin.
“We took several steps backwards,” Spalletti admitted after the defeat. “We finished the first half badly; we tried to sort things out, but we lacked personality and character. The sending off weighed heavily on us, but we also played our part.”
The defeat ranks as Juventus’ joint-second heaviest in European competition, behind only their 7-0 loss to Wiener Sport-Club in 1958.
Galatasaray now travel to Turin with a three-goal cushion and firm control of the tie.
