Soccer-Galatasaray rout 10-man Juventus 5-2 in Champions League playoff

Juventus FC SpA

17/02/2026 19:44

ISTANBUL, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Galatasaray secured a commanding 5-2 victory over 10-man Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League playoff on Tuesday, with Noa Lang and Gabriel Sara starring in a scintillating display.

Sara opened the scoring for the hosts in the 15th minute with a stunning long-range strike, but Juventus responded immediately through Teun Koopmeiners, who equalised. Koopmeiners doubled his tally in the 32nd minute with a powerful shot from outside the box to put the Italians ahead.

Galatasaray equalised just after the break when Lang slotted home a rebound from Baris Alper Yilmaz's effort. The Turkish side then regained the lead on the hour mark as Davinson Sanchez turned in a precise Sara set-piece.

Juventus were reduced to 10 men in the 67th minute when Juan Cabal was dismissed for a second booking. Lang punished a defensive mistake to score his second in the 75th minute, before substitute Sacha Boey added the fifth four minutes from time to seal a dominant win. The return leg will be played in Turin on February 25.

 (Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City
Editing by Toby Davis)

 ((Angelica.Medina@thomsonreuters.com))