Galatasaray delivered some of the memorable European nights of their historical past with a shocking 5–2 comeback victory over Juventus within the first leg of their Champions League knockout playoff at RAMS Park on February 17, 2026.
Roared on by a deafening residence crowd, the Turkish giants turned a tense first half right into a second-half masterclass that left Juventus shell-shocked and Europe on discover.
The night time belonged to Gabriel Sara. The midfielder was in all places dictating the tempo, slicing Juventus open with intelligent passes, and main the press.
He opened the scoring with a peaceful end after a uncommon error from Bremer, later added an help, and created probability after probability with seven key passes.
His all-action show earned him the UEFA Participant of the Match award and summed up Galatasaray’s fearless method as reported by Fabrizo romano by way of their x deal with.
Gabriel Sara wins UEFA Man of the Match Award for Galatasaray-Juventus.
Though Juventus briefly threatened to spoil the social gathering with Teun Koopmeiners’ first-half brace, Galatasaray emerged after the break with a totally totally different depth.
Noa Lang flipped the sport on its head with two sensible targets, exhibiting precisely why the membership pushed laborious to carry him in from Napoli in January.
Victor Osimhen, even with out scoring, was devastating stretching the defence, bullying centre-backs, and supplying two assists that killed the tie’s momentum.
Objectives from Davinson Sánchez and Sacha Boey capped a relentless second-half efficiency that Juventus merely couldn’t deal with, particularly after Juan Cabal’s purple card tilted the steadiness even additional.
This efficiency additionally underlined how particular this period is turning into for Galatasaray. The membership is witnessing historical past from its international stars, with Mauro Icardi now the all-time prime international goalscorer and Victor Osimhen smashing single-season information. Towards Juventus, Osimhen once more confirmed why he’s the heartbeat of this staff even on nights he doesn’t rating, he decides video games.
Softfootball reported that Past the scoreline, the message was clear: Galatasaray are now not simply noisy underdogs in Europe they’re a critical menace. The depth, perception, and high quality on show in opposition to Juventus recommend this staff is constructed for large nights.
With the second leg nonetheless to return, Galatasaray will know the job isn’t completed, however after a efficiency like this, they’ve already despatched a strong warning throughout the continent.
