Galatasaray Stuns Juventus with Jaw-Dropping Comeback Led by Lang’s Double Blitz

Well, if you thought Juventus had this one in the bag after Teun Koopmeiners netted twice before halftime, boy, were you in for a rude awakening. What started as a promising outing for Juve turned into an unmitigated disaster in Istanbul — a second half meltdown that saw Galatasaray swoop back from a 2-1 deficit and seize control of the tie with ruthless efficiency . Now, I’ve seen plenty of Champions League drama, but watching defender Juan Cabal come on and then get ejected after just 22 minutes? That was just the opening act of Juventus’s unraveling . You gotta admire Galatasaray’s Noa Lang, though — scoring twice on his debut to turn the tide and put his side firmly in the driver’s seat for the second leg in Turin. Believe me, this isn’t just another upset; it’s a full-blown statement made on one of football’s biggest stages, complete with red cards and gift-wrapped goals aplenty. If you want the nitty-gritty on how it all unfolded, dig a little deeper here: LEARN MORE

Juventus suffered a horror show of a second half in Istanbul as Galatasaray came from 2-1 down to take firm control of their playoff tie.

Juve looked well set when a brace from Teun Koopmeiners put them ahead at the break.

But defender Juan Cabal came on at the break and lasted just 22 minutes before being sent off for two bookings as they fell apart under pressure.

As well as having the most red cards in Champions League history (30), Juventus have also had more substitutes sent off than any other side (4).

And a double from Noa Lang on his Champions League debut for Galatasaray puts them in charge ahead of the second leg in Turin.

The hosts took the lead when former Norwich midfielder Gabriel Sara bent home brilliantly from the edge of the area after Victor Osimhen had nipped in to win the ball back.

Juve levelled just a minute later when a steaming header from Pierre Kalulu wasn’t held onto by Ugurcan Cakir, and Koopmeiners was in the right place to smash in.

The Dutch international then put Juve ahead with a brilliant strike. The midfielder, who has been played in a back three at times this season, showed why he should be up the pitch as he exchanged passes with Weston McKennie and then fired in to the roof of the net with aplomb.

Juve were on top but a half-time swing in momentum had Gala soon ahead. First, Baris Yilmaz lashed a shot across goal from wide on the right and Noa Lang was able to turn in, before Sara whipped in a delight of a free-kick that Davinson Sanchez touched in from close range.

Juve went down to 10 men and then played some awful football inside their own area to gift Galatasaray a fourth.

Khephren Thuram played a horrible ball to Lloyd Kelly, whose heavy touch enabled Lang to steal in and score a second.

It was only the second time Galatasaray have scored four goals in the Champions League, and the first this century.

And they got a fifth to surely seal a place against Liverpool or Tottenham when Sacha Boey came off the bench to smash in from a tight angle.