Dutch midfielder Noa Lang scored a brace as Galatasaray thumped Juventus 5-2 in a pulsating contest in Istanbul on Tuesday in the first leg of a Champions League playoff.
In a nerve-shredding atmosphere, Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus actually led 2-1 at half-time after Teun Koopmeiners replied to Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara’s opener with a brace of his own.
But Colombian full-back Juan Cabal was dismissed for two bookings in a calamitous second half as Lang’s brace and goals from Davinson Sanchez and Sacha Boey sunk the Old Lady, who faced a miserable return to Turin.
“We took several steps backwards,” moaned Spalletti, whose team had been rejuvenated since he took over in late October, with Juve seventh in Serie A and languishing outside the play-off spots in the Champions League after failing to win any of their first three matches.
“We finished the first half badly; we tried to sort things out, but we lacked personality and character,” added the 66-year-old.
“Obviously, the sending off weighed heavily on us, but we also played our part… We didn’t realise the danger in what we were doing.”
This was Juve’s joint-second heaviest defeat in European competition, after their 7-0 humbling by Wiener Sport-Club, who currently play in Austria’s regional leagues, back in 1958.
Sara opened the scoring with a slick left-footed strike from just inside the box on 15 minutes, but that lead was short-lived.
Gala goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir could only parry Khephren Thuram’s powerful header into the path of the onrushing Koopmeiners, who tapped in the leveller just a minute later.
Koopmeiners then picked out the top corner from the edge of the box on 32 minutes after a clever exchange with US midfielder Weston McKennie.
That was as good as it got for the visitors, though.
Okan Buruk’s Turkish champions ran riot after the break as Lang pounced on a loose ball in the six-yard box to level on 49 minutes.
Sanchez nodded Gala ahead on the hour mark as the home fans ramped up the volume.
Juve complained of an unfair dismissal in their 3-2 defeat to Serie A leaders Inter Milan at the weekend, but they could have no issues with Cabal’s sending off on 67 minutes.
Lang bagged his brace shortly afterwards as he pounced on the loose ball after Victor Osimhen robbed English centre-back Lloyd Kelly from Thuram’s poor pass inside his own box.
Substitute Boey ensured Gala would take a commanding lead to Turin next week as he lashed home from an angle five minutes from time.
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