Galatasaray lost the first leg of the Champions League play-offs on Wednesday evening in Bern 2:3. In a game that was at times highly dramatic, the Lions came back thanks to a double from substitute Batshuayi, but were still beaten shortly before the end due to a handball penalty. In addition to the game, they also lost Muslera (injured) and Bardakçi (suspended).
Much had already been written beforehand about the special conditions at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, where games are played on artificial turf. Whether it was actually due to the unusual surface or simply sleepiness – Galatasaray got off to a bad start in the game. The Young Boys immediately put their foot on the gas and pounced with the first chance: on a vertical pass, central defender Bardakçi moved out far too quickly and in a controlled manner, so that the coordination with his teammate Nelsson was no longer right and a huge gap was left in the defense. Bern striker Monteiro took the pass from Ugrinic cleanly, moved quickly towards the goal from the half-right and secured the early home lead with an unplaced but sufficiently hard shot (3′). Galatasaray then tried to respond quickly, but lacked the necessary precision in the finish. Icardi (12th) narrowly missed the goal after a cross from the left, but also inadvertently hit the shoulder of YB keeper von Ballmoos, who initially gritted his teeth but had to be substituted after half an hour due to injury.
Monteiro once again takes advantage of poor positioning
The Turkish champions had found their way into the game better in the middle of the first half, although Bern remained dangerous with quick direct play into the depth. Both Monteiro (37th) and, a few minutes later, his strike partner Ganvoula (41st) both narrowly missed the 2-0 lead. On the other side, Torreira’s header into the right corner was stopped by substitute Keller (44th). The goalkeeper’s injury meant that there were six minutes of stoppage time. And in that sixth minute, Bern struck a second time: Nelsson lost the header in midfield after a Bern kick-off, allowing the ball to go through to Monteiro. Bardakçı, who was once again poorly positioned, was not involved in any more challenges and only saw from behind how Monteiro beat Muslera into the near corner from seven meters.
Joker Batshuayi comes, sees and scores
Galatasaray made two substitutions at the start of the second period; once due to performance (Ziyech for Mertens), once due to injury (Güvenç for Muslera). The first chance after the restart also belonged to Cimbom, but Icardi (51′) was unable to beat Keller with a header. The Istanbul team were then lucky when Colley (58′) only hit the post from a half-left position and missed what seemed like an early decision. Instead, Galatasaray now made a comeback, which was inevitably associated with one name: Michy Batshuayi. The “Batsman” came onto the field in the 66th minute and scored with his first touch to make it 1-2 after a corner extended by Torreira to the far post. Just five minutes later, the man with the number 44 then slammed the ball into the bottom left corner from 17 meters – 2-2!
The yellow-red joy was short-lived, however, as five minutes before the end of regular time, the German referee Daniel Siebert awarded a penalty to Bern after consulting the VAR. Bardakçi had gotten the ball on his hand during a clearance, and the central defender, who had been warned, was shown a yellow-red card. Ugrinic (84th) converted into the middle to make the final score 3-2. The return match in Istanbul will take place next Tuesday.
