In the first week match of the UEFA Champions League, Galatasaray was the guest of the Portuguese representative Sporting.
The yellow-red team started the match played at the Jose Alvalade Stadium under pressure in the front field and took the lead 1-0 with Gonçalo Inacio's own goal in the 5th minute. Galatasaray, which created dangerous positions in the opponent's goal in the first half, could not prevent Geny Catamo's goal in the 27th minute and the first half ended with a 1-1 draw.
Galatasaray, which left control of the game to its opponent in the second half, had difficulty in the face of Sporting's pressure. The home team took the lead 2-1 with the goal scored by Luis Suarez from the penalty spot in the 57th minute. Rodrigo Zalazar, who continued his pressure on the Portuguese representative, made the score 3-1 with the goal he scored from a free kick in the 63rd minute. As there was no other goal in the match, Galatasaray left the field defeated 3-1. Thus, the yellow-red team suffered its first defeat in the 5th official match of the season.
YELLOW-REDS WERE DEFEATED FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON
Galatasaray suffered its first defeat of the 2026-2027 season with a score of 3-1 away against Sporting in the first week of the UEFA Champions League. With this result, the yellow-red team left the field with defeat for the first time in their 5th official competition. Galatasaray had not been defeated in the 4 matches it played in the Super League before the UEFA Champions League match. Having drawn 2-2 with Arca Çorum FK in the first week of the league, Galatasaray collected 10 points with 3 wins and 1 draw by defeating Erzurumspor FK 4-0, Göztepe 3-2 and İstanbul Başakşehir FK 3-2 in the following weeks. The yellow-red team suffered its last defeat before the Sporting match, losing 1-0 to Kasımpaşa in the last week of last season, on May 17, 2026.
CANNOT GET RESULTS IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OPENINGS
Galatasaray could only win 1 game in the last 10 opening matches in the UEFA Champions League (4 draws, 5 losses). The yellow-red team in the said period; While sharing the points with Bordeaux (0-0) in 2006-2007, they lost to Manchester United (1-0) in 2012-2013 and Real Madrid (6-1) in 2013-2014. The yellow-red team was content with a draw with Anderlecht (1-1) in 2014-2015, but lost to Atletico Madrid (2-0) in 2015-2016. Galatasaray won its only victory in this period by defeating Lokomotiv Moscow (3-0) in the 2018-2019 season; He left the matches with Club Brugge (0-0) in 2019-2020 and Copenhagen (2-2) in 2023-2024 with a draw. The yellow-reds lost to Eintracht Frankfurt (5-1) in the first week of the 2025-2026 season and finally to Sporting (3-1).
1 WIN IN THE LAST 16 AWAY MATCHES IN EUROPE
Galatasaray had difficulty getting the results it wanted in the last 16 away matches in the European cups. The yellow-red team has experienced 1 win, 3 draws and 12 losses in 16 away matches since the Bayern Munich match in the 2023-24 season. While the yellow-reds achieved their only away win in this period against Ajax (3-0) in the 2025-2026 season; In the 2024-2025 season, Rigas Skola (2-2), AZ Alkmaar (1-1) and Malmö (2-2) left the competitions with a draw. Galatasaray; Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Sparta Prague in the 2023-2024 season; Young Boys, Ajax and AZ Alkmaar in the 2024-2025 season; Eintracht Frankfurt, Monaco, Manchester City, Juventus and Liverpool in the 2025-2026 season; In the 2026-2027 season, Sporting was last defeated in their matches. The yellow-red team could not clear the opponent's net in 4 of the 16 away matches in question, and was able to keep a goal clean in only 1 match (Ajax 3-0).
REACTION FROM OKAN BURUK TO THE REFEREE'S DECISIONS
