Seven minutes separated Stuttgart’s first big chance from Galatasaray’s second goal on Tuesday. Jamie Leweling had hit both posts with the same shot by the time the visitors discovered how costly leaving a ball loose in their penalty area could be. Galatasaray beat them 2–0 in Istanbul on 3 November, with both goals scored by Aleksey Batrakov.
Leweling’s chance came in the eighth minute of the Champions League match. Maximilian Mittelstädt sent a cross from the left and Leweling met it from close range. The ball struck one upright, travelled across the face of goal, hit the other upright and came back into play. Stuttgart still had nothing on the scoreboard.
Galatasaray made their own opening count four minutes later. A clearance by Stuttgart defender Jeff Chabot left the ball within reach of Batrakov inside the area. He sent it into the top corner. The next goal, in the 15th minute, came from a different kind of chance. Davinson Sánchez played the ball behind the defence and Batrakov beat goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow.
For Nigerian fans following Victor Osimhen, the first-half scoreline had a different name attached to it this time. Osimhen threatened after the second goal, but the two finishes were Batrakov’s. Galatasaray said he became their first player to score twice in the opening 15 minutes of a Champions League game.
The score at the break held even as Stuttgart found ways to shoot. Chris Führich narrowly missed before half-time and drove another attempt wide after the restart. Galatasaray goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır stopped a long-range shot from Deniz Undav, then denied Dženan Pejčinović when the substitute came through one-on-one late in the game.
Those saves protected a lead established before a quarter of an hour had passed. Galatasaray took three points to move to six in the league phase. For Stuttgart the result ended an unbeaten start to this Champions League campaign following seven points from their first three fixtures.