In Istanbul, Barcelona turned a troubled first half into a commanding 4-1 Champions League win over Galatasaray, with 19-year-old Lamine Yamal shaping three of the four visiting goals. The Matchday 2 result carried Barcelona to the top of the league-phase table for now, although a pair of VAR decisions ensured the night retained an edge of controversy.
Key takeaways
- Lamine Yamal supplied two assists and began the move for Barcelona’s final goal.
- Aleksey Batrakov put Galatasaray ahead in the 28th minute after a deflection off Joao Cancelo.
- Galatasaray had a second goal ruled out following a lengthy offside review involving Baris Yilmaz and Rafael Leao.
- Cancelo equalised before half-time, despite home protests that Anthony Gordon had been offside in the build-up.
- Barcelona will travel to Paris Saint-Germain in Europe on Tuesday 20 October, after a league visit to Real Betis.
Yamal changes the rhythm after the interval
Galatasaray had struck first when Batrakov’s effort took a touch off Cancelo on 28 minutes. Eight minutes later, the Turkish side thought they had doubled their advantage, only for the video review to disallow the finish. Both Yilmaz and Leao were judged to have had a foot beyond Barcelona’s defensive line.
The visitors then received the more contentious call. Dani Olmo nicked the ball forward near the edge of the box in the 43rd minute and it travelled past Gordon, who was in an offside position but did not play it. Cancelo arrived to drive a low cross-shot into the corner, levelling the score at 1-1 despite the objections from Galatasaray’s defenders.
Yamal, a Ballon d’Or contender and World Cup winner, had been relatively quiet before the break but took over after it. In the 50th minute, after an earlier individual run had ended with Gordon unable to finish, he delivered a precise outside-of-the-foot cross. Fermín López beat his marker in the air to head Barcelona in front.
Three minutes later, Yamal was involved again. He entered the area, escaped Eren Elmali with a rabona, then recovered the ball on the byline when it seemed to be running out. His touch found Gordon, who finished at the near post for Barcelona’s third.
The Spain international, who wore the captain’s armband by the final whistle, also set the fourth in motion. His pass into the middle reached Gabriel Jesus, whose imperfect control still allowed him to send the ball back towards Yamal. The winger then fed Karim Adeyemi inside the penalty area, and Adeyemi made no mistake.
European positions and the next stops
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona sit first in the overall standings while the remainder of the Matchday 2 programme is completed. Their next European assignment comes away to PSG on Tuesday 20 October at 13:00 Central Mexico time. Before that, Barcelona go to Real Betis in LaLiga on Saturday 17 October, kicking off at 10:30.
Galatasaray remain near the bottom after two defeats, ahead only of Slovan Bratislava and Bodo/Glimt on goal difference. Their domestic fixture against Gençlerbirliği is scheduled for Saturday 17 October at 07:00, before an away Champions League meeting with Lille on Wednesday 21 October at 10:45.
