Lamine Yamal stars as Barcelona come from behind to beat Galatasaray

According to a report by BBC Sport, Anthony Gordon netted his first Champions League goal for Barcelona as the Catalan giants recovered from a goal down to secure an impressive victory over Galatasaray in Istanbul.

Barcelona attempted to take the sting out of the hostile atmosphere by keeping possession in the opening stages, but they were caught out when Galatasaray scored with their first meaningful attack.

Moments after Gordon was denied a penalty appeal, Rafael Leao surged down the left flank before pulling the ball back for Aleksey Batrakov, whose effort found the bottom corner with the aid of a deflection off Joao Cancelo.

The Turkish side appeared to extend their advantage six minutes later when Baris Alper Yilmaz redirected Victor Osimhen’s header beyond Joan Garcia. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for a marginal offside.

Barcelona gradually found their rhythm and levelled the contest two minutes before half-time, silencing the passionate home crowd. Dani Olmo’s deflection sent the ball into the path of Joao Cancelo, who produced a superb curling finish into the corner beyond goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.

The uncertainty Barcelona displayed before the interval disappeared almost immediately after the restart, with Hansi Flick’s men striking twice in the space of three minutes.

Fermin Lopez put the visitors ahead in the 50th minute, rising to meet a cross from Lamine Yamal and directing his header into the net. Three minutes later, Yamal showcased his exceptional close control to create an opportunity for Gordon, who fired home to register his first Champions League goal for Barcelona, just three days after scoring his maiden goal for the club.

Fellow summer recruit Karim Adeyemi subsequently came off the bench to add a fourth, driving a powerful shot into the net from the left side of the penalty area after Gabriel Jesus redirected Yamal’s cross into his path.

Barcelona’s attacking prowess under Flick has been remarkable, with the Spanish side registering 84 goals in 28 Champions League games during his tenure. Their average of three goals per match is the highest recorded by any club under a single manager in the competition since 1992-93, among those who have overseen at least 20 matches.

Following their emphatic 5-1 victory over Feyenoord in their opening league-phase fixture, Barcelona now have six points from their first two matches. They will next travel to France to take on Paris St-Germain on Tuesday, 20 October, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 BST.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, remain in search of their first victory in this season’s competition after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Sporting CP last month. The Turkish Super Lig leaders will attempt to get their campaign back on track when they face Lille on Wednesday, 21 October, at 17:45 BST.

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