In a dramatic UEFA Champions League opener at Deutsche Bank Park, Eintracht Frankfurt overturned an early deficit to secure a convincing 5-1 victory over Galatasaray. The result sees the German side begin their European campaign on a high note, while simultaneously handing the Turkish champions their first competitive defeat since March.
The match started in a superb atmosphere, but it was Galatasaray who silenced the home crowd early. In the eighth minute, winger Leroy Sane collected the ball in his own half and drove forward, linking up with Yunus Akgun, who fired a precise shot into the bottom corner to give the visitors an early lead. The goal capped off a brilliant run of form for Galatasaray, which had seen them go 13 successive matches without defeat.
However, the tide of the match turned dramatically with three goals in a frantic 12-minute spell just before halftime. The hosts found their equalizer in the 37th minute when a stroke of bad luck saw a shot from Ritsu Doan deflect off of Galatasaray defender Davinson Sanchez and into the net. This unfortunate own goal leveled the score at 1-1.
Just before the break, Frankfurt took the lead. Nineteen-year-old Turkish international Can Uzun scored against his homeland’s champions with a fine shot on the turn. In first-half injury time, Galatasaray’s defensive woes continued when a free-kick resulted in another own goal, this time from Wilfried Singo, making the score 3-1 at the half.
Frankfurt continued their dominance in the second half, adding two more goals to seal the emphatic victory. Jonathan Burkardt extended the lead with a header midway through the half, and Ansgar Knauff capped off the scoring after a defensive error gifted him the ball for an easy tap-in.
The 5-1 win places Eintracht Frankfurt at the top of the Champions League’s 36-team league phase after the first match week. For Galatasaray, whose squad included former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, the defeat marked a sobering end to their impressive winning streak. The Turkish club will now have to regroup before a challenging Champions League fixture against Liverpool on September 30.
