(Football news) On matchday two, the hosts stunned Manchester United’s Old Trafford stronghold with a 3-2 victory, and Thomas Tuchel’s club overcame a 2-1 deficit to defeat Copenhagen.
Rasmus Hojlund gave Manchester United the lead over Galatasaray twice, and the Turkish powerhouses responded with goals from Wilfried Zaha, a former Red Devil, and Kerem Akturkoglu, but Mauro Icardi’s error from the penalty spot meant that victory would presumably be out of reach.
But just moments after missing a 12-yard attempt, the Argentine striker grabbed a header from Davinson Sanchez, sprinted forward on the counterattack, and skillfully dinked the ball over Andre Onana to complete an incredible victory over the 20-time English champions—whose cause was not helped by Casemiro’s second-half dismissal.
Using their comeback skills in both of their Champions League matches this season, Galatasaray also trailed 2-0 into the final five minutes of their matchweek one match against Copenhagen before managing to salvage a point. With their respectable four points, Okan Buruk’s team is currently second in the standings.
Galatasaray climbed to the top of the Super Lig and extended their winning streak to six matches in all competitions over the weekend, defeating 10-man Besiktas 2-1 as two-goal hero Icardi moved onto double figures for the domestic season. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce is shattering records with their incredible start to the season.
Galatasaray, who haven’t lost a game since the start of the new season, will be looking to defend their 23-game winning streak when Bayern visits their home base in Istanbul. If they can send Tuchel’s squad back to Bavaria with no wins, they will take first place in the section.
Although Bayern had already survived scares in both of their Champions League matches so far, they were facing certain defeat against a motivated Copenhagen team. Nevertheless, they had fought fire with fire during their seven-goal thriller against Manchester United.
A goalless opening forty-five minutes was followed by a surprising lead for the Danish Superliga holders thanks to Lukas Lerager. However, the lead lasted just eleven minutes as Jamal Musiala equalised before gifted adolescent Mathys Tel completed the Bundesliga champions’ comeback.
After winning in Scandinavia, Bayern has had a flawless October thus far. Under Thomas Tuchel, his team has defeated Mainz 05 and Freiburg in the league, scoring three goals each time and only giving up to a strong effort by Anthony Caci in the latter game.
Bayern Munich have had the best start to a domestic season since the 2016–17 campaign with 20 points from eight Bundesliga games. A win on Tuesday, which would be their 20th in their past 24 away Champions League games, would put Bayern in a strong position to qualify for the round of 16 early.
Bayern needs to summon the winnings of their 1972–73 European Cup team in order to avoid losing in Group A. That team drew 1–1 with Galatasaray in their inaugural encounter before advancing to the second round with a brutal 6-0 victory in the rematch, in which the great Gerd Muller scored twice.
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