Barcelona rally from behind to win 4-1 on a hostile away trip to Galatasaray

Barcelona silenced a raucous RAMS Park on Wednesday, recovering from Alexey Batrakov’s opener to beat Galatasaray 4-1 in the Champions League. Joao Cancelo levelled before the break, then Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi struck within 15 second-half minutes.

Barcelona arrived with nine wins from nine in all competitions and a five-point LaLiga lead, while Galatasaray had lost their Champions League opener 3-1 to Sporting CP.

The hosts, reigning Super Lig champions, had beaten Liverpool twice at RAMS Park last season.

Hansi Flick made four changes from the Getafe win, with Pau Cubarsi and Joao Cancelo coming in defence and Pedri preferred to Gavi.

With Raphinha injured, Fermin Lopez led the line, while Okan Buruk welcomed back a fit Victor Osimhen after an adductor problem.

Barcelona controlled the ball from the opening whistle, taking more than 70 per cent of first-half possession and quietening a jeering crowd.

Dani Olmo went through one-on-one with Cakir early on, only for offside to cancel it, and Gordon’s effort on 16 minutes was comfortably saved.

Against the run of play, Galatasaray led in the 28th minute. Gordon’s appeal for a penalty was waved away, and Rafael Leao raced down the left before cutting the ball back to Alexey Batrakov, whose shot deflected off Cancelo and beat a flat-footed Joan Garcia.

Six minutes later the hosts thought they had doubled the lead. Osimhen headed a deep corner towards Baris Alper Yilmaz, who turned it in from close range, but a lengthy VAR check ruled the full-back marginally offside, and Barcelona escaped a damaging blow.

Barcelona levelled two minutes before the break. Olmo’s well-timed tackle on Davinson Sanchez won the ball back after Yamal was blocked, and Cancelo slotted it into the far corner past Cakir, with the offside Gordon wisely staying out of the way.

Barcelona sensed momentum and finished the half strongly, with Cakir twice denying Gordon in quick succession and then pushing away a free-kick from Olmo in stoppage time. At 1-1 at the break, Galatasaray’s expected goals stood at just 0.28 against Barcelona’s 1.02.

Barcelona exploded after the interval. Gordon somehow missed from under six yards after Yamal’s cross, then Galatasaray failed to clear a corner, Yamal sent a second ball in, and Fermin Lopez escaped Sanchez to head in from close range for 2-1 in the 50th minute.

Three minutes later Gordon had his goal. Yamal beat Eren Elmali and kept the ball in at the byline, then found Gordon, who took a touch and fired past Cakir from a tight angle for 3-1, his first Champions League goal for the club.

Karim Adeyemi, on as Gordon’s replacement, wrapped it up in the 65th minute. Yamal’s pass found Gabriel Jesus, who unwittingly helped the ball on, and Adeyemi drilled a low shot past Cakir into the far corner without breaking stride to make it 4-1.

Galatasaray’s spirit faded, though Barcelona kept pressing. Cakir pushed away a Jesus shot in the 83rd minute, and two minutes later Roland Sallai headed Adeyemi’s volley off the line after Cakir diverted Yamal’s cross, denying Barcelona a fifth.

Yamal was at the heart of it all, providing for Fermin Lopez and Gordon and setting up the move for Adeyemi’s goal. He has 12 Champions League goals as a teenager, one short of Kylian Mbappe’s record, and does not turn 20 until July.

Galatasaray had beaten Barcelona only once in 10 attempts, in November 1994, when current coach Okan Buruk was in the side. Osimhen, who has seven Champions League goals in 10 games for the club, saw several runs ruled offside or snuffed out by Joan Garcia.

Yet the defence remains a worry, with 17 successive Champions League matches without a clean sheet. Their attack, though, is thriving: 84 goals in 28 matches under Flick is the best per-game rate of any club with 20-plus games under one manager since 1992-93.

Barcelona have six points after beating Feyenoord 5-1 on matchday one, and travel to Paris St-Germain on Tuesday, October 20.

Galatasaray, face Lille on Wednesday, October 21 in search of their first win of the campaign.