Barcelona come from behind to beat Galatasaray 4-1 in Istanbul

Barcelona came from behind to beat Galatasaray 4-1 at RAMS Park in Istanbul on 13 October, maintaining a perfect start to the season and returning to the top of the Champions League league-phase table.

The win made it two from two for Hansi Flick's side in the league phase and took their tally to nine goals from those two matches. Barcelona have now won all 10 of their games across all competitions this season.

Batrakov punishes a slow start

Galatasaray, pointless after their opening two games, drew first blood in the 28th minute when Alexey Batrakov's deflected strike from the edge of the box beat the Barcelona goalkeeper.

It very nearly got better for the hosts. Soon afterwards, Yilmaz's close-range header was ruled out for offside following a VAR review, a decision that spared Barcelona and shifted the momentum of the evening.

Cancelo sparks the turnaround

Barca, who had already shown plenty of threat, capitalised on that reprieve just before half-time. João Cancelo finished neatly to level the scores and turn the contest on its head.

The turnaround was completed soon after the interval. Lamine Yamal delivered a cross from the right and Fermín López nodded it in on 50 minutes to make it 2-1.

Three minutes later it was 3-1, and again Yamal was the provider, this time teeing up Anthony Gordon for his first Champions League goal for the club.

Adeyemi seals it

Karim Adeyemi drilled home a fourth goal on 65 minutes, putting the outcome beyond doubt and continuing an afternoon of clinical finishing from the visitors.

Barcelona were not finished there. On 90 minutes, Sanchez's slip presented Adeyemi with the chance to race clear on goal, but he hesitated and allowed Jakobs to recover and avert the danger. Galatasaray's Roland Sallai was booked in the 86th minute for a late sliding challenge on the substitute Gabriel Jesus, and after the fourth official signalled three additional minutes the game ran its course without further incident.

Barcelona's dominance in numbers

The scoreline, if anything, understated Barcelona's control. They finished with 71 per cent of possession against Galatasaray's 29, and bettered their expected goals tally, ending on 2.83 to the hosts' 0.43.

Barcelona registered 11 shots on goal to Galatasaray's three, created five big chances to the hosts' none, and won six corners to one. They also completed 625 accurate passes at 91 per cent accuracy, against 202 at 74 per cent from Galatasaray, and won 45 duels to 34. The goalkeepers were called upon six times at one end and twice at the other, with 12 fouls committed by Galatasaray to Barcelona's 10.

Galatasaray's wait goes on

For Galatasaray, the evening carried a particular weight. They have beaten Barcelona only once in 10 previous attempts, and current head coach Buruk was part of the side that achieved it in November 1994. Just under 32 years on, his team had no answer.

They remain pointless after their opening two league-phase matches. After resuming their domestic campaign at Genclerbirligi on Saturday, they will look to get their first Champions League points of the campaign on the board against Lille on 21 October.

Barcelona, meanwhile, travel to Real Betis in LaLiga on Saturday looking to extend their perfect start, before a blockbuster showdown with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in this competition three days later.

SportsLigue