Icardi’s Panenka penalty kick was not enough for points, Galatasaray lost to Bayern 1:3 despite a good first half

One of Tuesday’s Champions League matches was a clash between the undefeated teams from the two rounds of Group A. Galatasaray played better than Bayern in the first half, but in the end it was Munich who won.

The Bavarian big club is struggling with a rather extensive illness. Coach Thomas Tuchel couldn’t count on Leon Goretzka, who broke his arm on Saturday in Mainz. In addition, Dayot Upamecano and Serge Gnabry were missing.

Bayern took the lead by converting their first chance. After seven minutes of play, Sané crossed to a free Kingsley Coman in the whitewash and he opened the scoring with a precise cross to the far post.

The home side could have equalised soon after, but Aktürkoğlu’s finish was saved by Sven Ulreich with a heavy tackle. The German goalkeeper then hesitated in the 11th minute when he failed to keep the ball in his gloves, but this time the active Kerem Aktürkoğlu shot over the bar.

Galatasaray’s players continued to have a shooting advantage. They got the equalizer after half an hour from a penalty. Kimmich’s foul was punished by a successful imitation of Antonín Panenka’s famous penalty kick by Argentine striker Mauro Icardi.

The team with 23 league titles, the most successful club in Turkish history, did not let up in their offensive efforts and high pace of play. At the end of the half, Ulreich again saved Aktürkoğlu’s shot and in the setup Icardi headed just wide of the right post. The teams went into the break with a 1-1 draw.

After the change of sides, the visitors were the first to create an interesting opportunity, but in this case it was missed. Leroy Sané missed the target in the 51st minute from a promising position in the penalty area. Not long after, Lucas Torreira challenged him on the other side from outside the box.

The same player was not far away from scoring a goal just before the hour mark of normal time. He made a good run at Mertens’ direct free kick from the right, but only headed into the side netting. Then in the 63rd minute, Istanbul goalkeeper Fernando Muslera had to make an important save against Sané’s fierce effort.

Ten minutes later, Bayern’s biggest cannon struck. After a pass from Mazraoui, Harry Kane initially missed his footing, but the ball bounced back to him from a defending opponent and he finished uncompromisingly into the net.

Galatasaray’s luck ran out as the end of the game approached and they scored for the third time in the 79th minute. Jamal Musiala converted the final 1:3 with a shot on the ground, assisted by Kane. Bardakcı’s final header in stoppage time was disallowed for offside. Bayern are still 100 per cent in the group stage of this year’s Champions League, with the Turkish team having four points.

The simultaneous Group D match with kick-off at 18:45 between Inter Milan and Red Bull Salzburg ended 2-1. Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored the winning goal in the 64th minute from a penalty.

Source: UEFA