Tuesday night marked the return of the Champions League as the play-off first legs got underway, with one of the standout ties seeing Juventus travel to RAMS Park to face Turkish champions Galatasaray.

First meeting in over a decade

The sides had not met since December 2013, when Galatasaray edged a 1-0 win. The hosts entered the clash in confident mood despite a recent European defeat to Manchester City, having won four straight matches in all competitions. Juventus, by contrast, arrived winless in three and fresh from a goalless draw in their final league-phase outing.

Galatasaray’s home form in Europe had been solid, and they were unbeaten in eight matches at RAMS Park in all competitions. However, goals had been an issue in recent Champions League fixtures. Juventus, meanwhile, had won just once in their last eight away matches in the competition but had not conceded in their previous three European games.

Bright start from the hosts

As expected in Istanbul’s notoriously hostile atmosphere, Galatasaray began on the front foot. The home side fired off three efforts inside the opening 10 minutes, immediately putting the visitors under pressure.

Their breakthrough came after a defensive lapse gifted possession to Gabriel Sara, who made no mistake. From a Juventus perspective, the goal was entirely avoidable, with their failure to clear their lines proving costly.

Juventus responded swiftly. Within 85 seconds, Teun Koopmeiners tapped home after Ugurcan Cakir parried Pierre Kalulu’s initial strike. The Dutchman then struck again just after the half-hour with a superb finish into the top corner, briefly turning the contest on its head.

Despite trailing at the break, Galatasaray had dominated statistically, registering 13 first-half shots — the most Juventus had faced in the opening period of a Champions League knockout match in over a decade.

Momentum shifts decisively

Any hope that Juventus could ride their luck evaporated early in the second half. Noa Lang levelled shortly after the restart and later added a second, punishing a defence that struggled to cope with the home side’s relentless attacking pressure.

Victor Osimhen was heavily involved, recording 10 touches in the Juventus penalty area — more than any player on the pitch — though he failed to convert his chances. Davinson Sanchez added another goal with a powerful header from Sara’s expertly delivered free-kick, further underlining Galatasaray’s superiority.

Juventus’ task became almost impossible when substitute Juan Cabal was sent off just 21 minutes after coming on, reducing the visitors to 10 men and compounding an already difficult evening.

Sacha Boey capped the rout minutes after his introduction, sealing a heavy first-leg defeat and marking the first time Juventus had conceded five goals in a Champions League match.

Outplayed in every department

The statistics painted a stark picture. Galatasaray dominated possession with nearly 62 percent of the ball and fired 22 shots to Juventus’ seven. Aside from completing more dribbles, the Italian side were second best across virtually every metric.

For a club steeped in European pedigree, it was a sobering night. With a significant deficit to overturn in the second leg, Juventus now face a daunting challenge to keep their Champions League campaign alive.