Galatasaray played its first match of the season in Europe's most prestigious club football tournament at José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Despite taking the lead against Sporting, Galatasaray suffered a 3-1 defeat.
Galatasaray made a fast start and went 1-0 up in the fifth minute when Gonçalo Inácio scored an own goal. The Turkish side controlled the game during the opening 10 minutes but later surrendered the initiative to their opponents.
Sporting equalized through Geny Catamo in the 27th minute. Leroy Sané missed an opportunity to put Galatasaray back in front in the 37th minute, and the first half ended 1-1.
The home side took a 2-1 lead in the 57th minute through Luis Suárez's penalty. Rodrigo Zalazar then sealed Sporting's victory with a free-kick goal in the 63rd minute.
Galatasaray suffered its first defeat of the season
Galatasaray had remained unbeaten in official matches before facing Sporting, but this result gave the team its first defeat of the season. Galatasaray had recorded three wins and one draw in four Trendyol Süper Lig matches.
Okan Buruk's side had won its previous three Süper Lig matches. The defeat to Sporting also ended that winning streak.
Fans jeered Rafael Leão
Sporting supporters jeered Rafael Leão, who came through the club's academy and is part of Galatasaray's squad. After a group of masked fans attacked Sporting's training facilities in 2018, several players, including Leão, unilaterally terminated their contracts, saying that their lives were in danger.
Despite a €45 million release clause, Leão left Sporting as a free agent and moved to Lille. After his performances at Lille, the player joined Milan for approximately €30 million. In line with a 2022 decision by the Portuguese Sports Arbitration Court, approximately €20 million, including interest, was paid to Sporting. Milan's total transfer cost therefore reached €50 million.
Leão made his first appearance at José Alvalade Stadium as an opponent of Sporting when he came on for Sané in the 58th minute. Portuguese fans jeered him whenever he received the ball.
Galatasaray's Champions League opening matches
Galatasaray has recorded only one win in its last 10 opening-week matches in the group or league phase of the Champions League. Four of those matches ended in draws, while five ended in defeat.
During this period, Galatasaray drew 0-0 with Bordeaux and lost 1-0 to Manchester United, 6-1 to Real Madrid, 2-0 to Atlético Madrid, 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt and 3-1 to Sporting. Galatasaray also drew 1-1 with Anderlecht and 2-2 with Copenhagen, while beating Lokomotiv Moscow 3-0 and Ajax 3-0.
Poor away run in Europe
Galatasaray has recorded only one win in its last 16 away matches in European competitions. During this run, which began with the match against Bayern Munich, Galatasaray beat Ajax 3-0 last season.
Galatasaray drew three of those 16 away matches and lost 12.
At least one goal has been scored in each of Galatasaray's last 40 matches in European competitions. The team's most recent goalless match in Europe was its 0-0 away draw against Barcelona in the last 16 of the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League.
Okan Buruk criticized the refereeing decisions
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk said after the match that the refereeing decisions had affected the result. Buruk argued that a red card should have been shown and that the penalty decision was incorrect, claiming that the VAR referee failed to intervene.
Buruk said Galatasaray had made a good start and played the better football in the first half. Describing the penalty decision in the second half as a turning point, Buruk said it lowered his players' confidence.
The Galatasaray manager acknowledged that the opponents played better after their second goal. Buruk also said his team should have responded better after falling 2-1 behind.
Yunus Akgün: The referee overshadowed the match
Galatasaray captain Yunus Akgün said in his post-match assessment that the team had prepared well for the game but lost control after taking a 1-0 lead.
Akgün said he believed a red card should have been shown in a challenge in which an opposing player's foot was raised. He also argued that the second-half penalty decision was wrong and said the referee had overshadowed the match.
The Galatasaray player said injuries to several players had left the team short-handed but that they had started the match well. Akgün said they needed to respond more strongly in their upcoming games.
Rui Borges: We deserved to win this match
Sporting manager Rui Borges said his team had struggled to control the game during the first 20 to 25 minutes but recovered toward the end of the first half.
Borges said Sporting increased its pressure in the second half, won the ball back and created chances through transitional attacks. The Portuguese coach said he did not want to discuss the refereeing decisions and stated that Sporting had played better than Galatasaray, particularly in the second half.
Borges said it was important to begin the Champions League with a home victory and noted that some of his players were appearing in the tournament for the first time.
