UCL playoff: Galatasaray thrash Juventus 5-2

Galatasaray on Tuesday dismantled Juventus 5-2 in the playoffs of the UEFA Champions League knockout, putting them in line for qualification for the quarter finals.

The Turkish giant put the Turin club under constant pressure to turn the tie around, having gone a goal down in the second interval.

The three-goal lead is a huge mountain for the Bianconerri as Galatasaray will be going into the second leg as huge favourites.

Juventus hand finished the first half with a 2-1 lead courtesy of  Teun Koopmeiners’ brace,  after Gala had opened the goal account.

They capitulated a disastrous performance from Juan Cabal with a red card, and Noa Lang doubled, giving them a Champions League play-off mountain to climb.

The hosts went ahead when Lucas Torreira laid the ball for Gabriel Sara to bend the left-foot finish into the far bottom corner.

Juventus didn’t allow Gala’slead to last more than a minute as Andrea Cambiaso surged forward from the kick-off and floated a cross for Pierre Kalulu’s header, which was only parried into the path of Teun Koopmeiners to turn in the rebound.

Victor Osimhen may not have scored, but he was a constant threat who forced the Juventus backline to make mistakes and concede. His half-volley flashed over the bar, and his header was well saved by Michele Di Gregorio.

The Dutchman then completed his brace to give his team the lead as he burstedthrough the centre, completed a give and go with Weston McKennie, and blasted the ball into the roof of the net.

Juventus suffered their first injury blow in the match as half-fit Gleison Bremer was forced off with a thigh issue, and Federico Gatti came in his place.

Roland Sallai had an opportunity to level matters on the stroke of half-time, but ballooned over at the back post after surprising Cambiaso on a Lang corner.

They eventually equalised straight after the restart through Noah Lang.  Di Gregorio pushed Baris Alper Yilmaz’s angled drive, but could not stop  Lang’s tap-in for his first goal since the January move from Napoli. 

Galatasaray then turned it around as Gabriel Sara’s ferocious free kick took a mere glance off Davinson Sanchez to wrong-foot Di Gregorio from close range.

Cabal, who was booked for a foul on Baris Alper Yilmaz, received his second for another failed attempt to stop the Galatasaray captain, reducing Juventus to 10 men.

Gala made it four as Osimhen punished Lloyd Kelly, who was sluggish playing out from the back after a pass from Khephren Thuram. The Nigerian striker stole the ball inside the box and found Lang for another tap-in.

The fifth then arrived when Osimhen again won the battle against Kelly to send substitute Sacha Boey down the right, blasting into the far top corner with a powerful finish.