Juventus's defeat in Istanbul. The Bianconeri, defeated 5-2 by Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs, seriously jeopardizes their qualification for the round of 16. A stellar performance in Turin will be needed to overturn the result and secure a spot in the next round.
Spalletti's team suffered one of the heaviest defeats in their history in Europe, suffering a brace from Noa Lang, fresh from his transfer from Napoli. Numerous defensive errors weighed heavily, as did Cabal's red card midway through the second half.
The Turks immediately took the lead in the 15th minute through Gabriel Sara after Yildiz's miscontrol. Juve responded immediately, equalizing a minute later through Koopmeines, who capitalized on the Turkish goalkeeper's short parry on Kalulu's header. The Dutchman scored again in the 32nd minute, with a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner after a mix-up with McKennie .
Juventus went into halftime with the lead, but Galatasaray equalized early in the second half through Noa Lang , tapping in after Di Gregorio's save. A mistake by Cabal proved decisive. In the 60th minute, Sanchez scored, deflecting a free kick, to make it 3-2 for the Turks. Shortly thereafter, Cabal received a second yellow card.
Juve's gifts continued, this time Kelly lost the ball to Osimhen's pressing, passing it to Noa Lang to make it 4-2. And in the 86th minute, Boey made it 5-2 , again assisted by Osimhen. Now they needed a feat.
Atalanta also suffered a defeat in the first leg of their playoff match at Signal Iduna Park against Borussia Dortmund. The Germans took the lead after three minutes through Guirassy, then Beier doubled the lead. But Atalanta can count on a return trip.
(Unioneonline/L)
