Galatasaray 0-1 Real Madrid
Real Madrid earned their first win in the Champions League the hard way via a 1-0 victory to put them at the second spot in Group A behind French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain.
Coming into the match, Zinedine Zidane’s side were desperate for this win especially after a rocky start in the tournament where they were demoralised by PSG and drew level against Club Brugge.
They have been inconsistent as of late after seemingly turning the corner, which is why fans over at Bernabeu would hope that their team would take advantage of this opportunity moving forward.
It is a good thing, however, that Club Brugge and Galatasaray have had their share of struggles as well in the group stage, which gave Los Blancos a sense of optimism.
On the other hand, this is a tough loss for the defending Turkish league champions as they slide to the bottom of the table with only one point. They would need to win their next few matches in order to have better Champions League 2019 odds of qualifying for the next round.
This game produced a lot of Champions League 2019 highlights even if the score was lower than expected. As always, SBOBET is here to bring to you some of the matches’ noteworthy moments.
Highlights of the game
Zinedine Zidane made some changes in the starting XI in this match. He opted to put in the likes of youngsters Rodrygo and Fede Valverde since Luka Modric and Gareth Bale were out. On the other hand, Galatasaray were missing the services of ace striker Radamel Falcao due to an Achilles problem he suffered two weeks ago.
The hosts started the game well as they had more possession in the game’s first 15 minutes. Florin Andone had two great chances in a span of three minutes. However, both of his strikes were parried away by Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid had their chances as well. In the 14th minute, Karim Benzema tipped the ball towards a cutting Rodrygo at the right flank, but his shot was blocked by Fernando Muslera. Benzema tried to score on his own this time 30 seconds later via a counter attack, but Muslera was there yet again.
The Turkish champions were left to rue those missed opportunities earlier, as their defence couldn’t stop Toni Kroos to shatter the deadlock for Los Blancos. Eden Hazard teed the ball up for a wide open Toni Kroos, who let out a strong attempt that hit the side of the foot of a Gala defender for a goal.
Real Madrid tried to add on to their lead at the 27th minute as Eden Hazard fought through multiple defenders for a clean shot on target, but Muslera was there to clean it up.
Gala had a chance after a mad scramble with the ball inside the box at the 34th minute as Younes Belhanda was just inches away for a possible equaliser. However, Marcelo plucked it away for a long clearance. Belhanda had one more before ending the first half, but Courtois fast reflexes reigned supreme.
Karim Benzema also put on a show with multiple chances of his own as well. His long shot at the 38th minute was saved by Muslera and his long ball just went over the goal post a minute later.
The theme was pretty much the same in the second half, as both Los Blancos and Gala still had multiple chances to score. However, both teams were misfiring all over.
Karim Benzema showed off his ballhandling wizardry on an attempt at the 53rd minute, but he hurried his shot and the ball was tapped out of bounds.
13 minutes later, Eden Hazard perhaps had the closest attempt to increase Los Blancos’ goal count. He would race down in the penalty area only to see his shot hit the crossbar since it was a bit too high, giving the crowd quite a scare.
Galatasaray tried to employ a press in order to try and force counter attacks. But in the end, Zinedine Zidane’s side was steady enough to hold on until the very end.
Key statistics
In a game filled with multiple chances, it was Real Madrid who had the better of the home team. Los Blancos had 26 total shots with 12 of those on target.
The home team, meanwhile, had more possession (56-per cent) and passes completed (601) in this match. They also had more fouls (15) than the road team.
For me, Thibaut Courtois should be the man of the match with a rating of 8.0 while Toni Kroos is a close second at 7.6.
What’s next?
Galatasaray will have their rematch with Los Blancos on November 7th, this time, in Bernabeu. But for now, they’ll have to face Besiktas and Rizespor first in the Turkish League.
It’s unfortunate that the El Clasico will be postponed for now, and Real Madrid will get to face Leganes and Real Betis first before they’ll meet up once again with Galatasaray.
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