Galatasaray 0-1 Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points | UEFA Champions League 2019-20
Real Madrid edged past Galatasaray in an entertaining encounter in Istanbul as Los Blancos registered their first win of the Champions League campaign. The game started frantically with both sides pressing for an early goal. The hosts spurned two glorious chances while the visitors were also slightly profligate in front of goal.
However, in the 18th minute, Toni Kroos proved the anomaly as he smashed home the opener. The German was set up expertly by Eden Hazard, who beat his man on the left flank before squaring the ball.
The home side searched furiously for an equaliser from that point but had to return empty-handed as Madrid did just enough to bag all three points.
Here is a look at the major talking points from the game.
#5 Galatasaray and Real Madrid serve up a manic first half
Galatasaray and Real Madrid came into the encounter on Tuesday with a point apiece, meaning that both required a positive result to keep their qualification hopes intact. Consequently, several expected a cagey encounter where the sides would spar for a while before trading stronger punches.
Yet, nothing of that sort transpired as the teams matched each other stride for stride in an extraordinarily open first half.
Madrid started the better of the two sides and capitalized on the hosts’ slack defending to carve open a few openings. However, they failed to find an end product.
Thereafter, Galatasaray grew into the game and showcased commendable bravery and courage on the ball, in the process, stunning the 13-time Champions League winners. Akin to the visitors though, the home side also failed to make the net bulge with Florin Andone guilty of missing a couple of gilt-edged opportunities.
The chances refused to dry up throughout the period as Karim Benzema and Rodrygo also came close. Eventually, the deadlock was broken by Kroos when the German lashed home Hazard’s pass inside the penalty area.
However, rather than retreating into their shell, the home side threw caution to the wind and put the visitors under strife, despite going a goal behind.
Before the contest had started, it looked primed to be an affair where both teams might’ve been inclined to prioritise calculation over creativity, thereby not adding too much to the game as a spectacle. Yet, once Madrid started landing blows, Galatasaray refused to back down, thereby making it an extremely frenetic first half.