Eintracht Frankfurt began their UEFA Champions League campaign in spectacular fashion, storming to a 5-1 victory over Galatasaray. The result extends Galatasaray’s winless streak on the road in European competition to seven games (D3, L4).
Galatasaray, who entered the match on a high note after winning their first five games of the 2025/26 season, started brightly. Yunus Akgun gave the Turkish side the lead with a clinical strike in the eighth minute, and they looked to be in control for most of the first half.
However, the match turned on its head just before halftime. A shot from Eintracht’s Ritsu Doan took a cruel deflection off Galatasaray’s Davinson Sanchez and found the back of the net to level the score. Moments later, Can Uzun put the hosts ahead for the first time with a powerful shot into the roof of the net. Frankfurt’s momentum continued as Jonathan Burkardt headed in a third goal from a Fares Chaibi free-kick, completing a devastating three-goal blitz in the final minutes of the first half.
Galatasaray had a golden chance to get back into the game on the hour mark when a low ball found Ilkay Gundogan in a prime position, but his close-range effort was directed straight at goalkeeper Michael Zetterer.
The missed opportunity proved costly. Just six minutes later, Jonathan Burkardt secured his brace with a header that once again took a significant deflection off Sanchez before finding the back of the net. Ansgar Knauff added the final goal for Frankfurt with 15 minutes remaining, capitalizing on a defensive error from Gabriel Sara.
Frankfurt saw out the remainder of the match with ease, securing a crucial three points that place them at the top of the table after the first round of fixtures.
Sources
