Yamal magic helps Barcelona beat Galatasaray in Champions League
Yamal provided two assists and 'turned the game around' for Barcelona, who won 4-1 in Istanbul.
Key points
- Barcelona beat Galatasaray 4-1 in Istanbul to go top of the Champions League table with two wins.
- Lamine Yamal set up three second-half goals after Barcelona trailed 1-0 in the first half.
- Galatasaray have no points after two matches and sit near the bottom of the standings.
Barcelona won 4-1 at Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday at Istanbul's Ali Sami Yen Stadium. The victory lifted Barcelona to the top of the table with two wins from two matches, while Galatasaray have no points and are near the foot of the standings.
Lamine Yamal drove Barcelona's second-half comeback after a difficult first period. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said of Yamal: "He's turned the game around for us."
How the game unfolded
Barcelona dominated early, with Anthony Gordon prominent on the flank as Galatasaray tightly marked Yamal. Galatasaray took the lead after 27 minutes when a counterattack ended with Aleksey Batrakov's shot deflecting off Joao Cancelo and into the corner.
Galatasaray then pressed hard, and Victor Osimhen headed a corner past goalkeeper Joan Garcia. Baris Yilmaz put the ball over the line but was ruled offside. Barcelona regained control before the break when Dani Olmo passed to Cancelo, who scored.
When he has the ball, I always look for a run. He's the best in the world.
— Fermin Lopez
Yamal takes over
In the 50th minute, Yamal curled a cross to Fermin Lopez, who headed in to put Barcelona ahead. Three minutes later, Yamal beat Eren Elmali three times in tight space and passed to Gordon, who scored in front of goal.
After 65 minutes, Yamal cut inside and passed toward Gabriel Jesus; the ball deflected to Karim Adeyemi, who scored. Yamal finished without a goal and later took the captain's armband when Pedri was replaced.
