Galatasaray Crush 10-Man Juventus in Champions League Playoff First Leg

Galatasaray secured a convincing 5-2 victory over Juventus in the opening leg of their Champions League playoff tie held in Istanbul on Tuesday with Dutch forward Noa Lang netting twice in a thrilling encounter.

Despite the intense atmosphere Juventus under Luciano Spalletti took a 2-1 lead into the break after Teun Koopmeiners responded to Gabriel Sara's early goal with two strikes of his own.

The second half turned disastrous for the visitors as Colombian defender Juan Cabal received a second yellow card and was sent off leading to goals from Lang Davinson Sanchez and Sacha Boey that left Juventus facing an uphill battle in the return fixture in Turin.

"We have regressed significantly" grumbled Spalletti whose side had shown promise since his appointment in late October moving up to seventh in Serie A and entering the playoff spots after struggling in their initial three Champions League games without a win.

"The first half ended poorly for us we attempted adjustments but showed a lack of resolve and grit" the 66-year-old continued.

"The red card certainly hurt us though we contributed to our own downfall we failed to sense the risks involved."

This result marks Juventus's second heaviest loss in European matches tying their 7-0 defeat to Wiener Sport-Club a team now in Austria's lower divisions from 1958.

Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara gave the hosts the lead on 15 minutes with a precise left-footed shot from inside the penalty area but Juventus equalised swiftly.

Goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir managed only to push away Khephren Thuram's strong header allowing Koopmeiners to slot home the equaliser just a minute later.

On 32 minutes Koopmeiners struck again curling a fine effort into the top corner following a neat combination with American Weston McKennie.

However that proved to be the extent of Juventus's joy.

Okan Buruk's Turkish title holders dominated after the interval with Lang restoring parity on 49 minutes by converting a rebound in the six-yard box.

Sanchez headed the hosts in front on the hour as the crowd's cheers grew louder.

Juventus had protested a controversial red card in their recent 3-2 loss to league leaders Inter Milan but Cabal's dismissal on 67 minutes was beyond dispute after two bookings.

Lang completed his brace soon after capitalising on a loose ball when Victor Osimhen dispossessed Englishman Lloyd Kelly following Thuram's errant pass near the penalty area.

Replacement Boey sealed the substantial advantage for the second leg by firing into the net from a tight angle with five minutes remaining.