Galatasaray 1-4 Barcelona: Yamal inspires comeback win in Champions League
Barcelona produced a devastating second-half display to come from behind and thrash Galatasaray 4-1 in the cauldron of Rams Park, maintaining their perfect start to the season and climbing to the top of the Champions League league phase.
The Turkish side stunned Hansi Flick’s men against the run of play in the 28th minute. Rafael Leao accelerated down the left and squared for Aleksey Batrakov, whose low strike took a deflection off Joao Cancelo before nestling in the net. Galatasaray thought they had doubled their lead moments later when Baris Alper Yilmaz headed home from a corner, only for VAR to rule it out for offside.
Barcelona responded just before the break. Dani Olmo robbed Davinson Sanchez and slipped a pass to Cancelo, who curled a precise finish into the far corner to make it 1-1 at half-time.
The visitors exploded after the restart, with Lamine Yamal the architect. In the 50th minute the teenage winger floated a perfect cross for Fermín López to stoop and head past Ugurcan Cakir. Three minutes later Yamal produced a moment of individual brilliance, bamboozling his marker with intricate footwork before teeing up Anthony Gordon to smash home from close range for his first Champions League goal in a Barcelona shirt.
Karim Adeyemi, introduced as a substitute, sealed the victory in the 65th minute. Yamal’s through ball found Gabriel Jesus, whose heavy touch fell kindly for the German to drill a fierce left-footed shot beyond Cakir and complete a ruthless 15-minute blitz.
Flick’s side, who have now won all 10 matches across all competitions this season, dominated possession and created a raft of chances in a hostile atmosphere, silencing the home crowd with a performance of quality and character that underlined their credentials as serious contenders.
