Eintracht Frankfurt secured a commanding victory over Galatasaray Istanbul in their Champions League group stage opener, triumphing 5-1. The result places Frankfurt provisionally at the top of the group standings.
The match began with a promising start for Frankfurt, who pressed high and attempted to establish early dominance. However, Galatasaray swiftly capitalized on a counter-attack in the eighth minute. Yunus Akgün maneuvered past defender Collins and delivered a low shot into the bottom right corner.
Frankfurt needed time to regroup, appearing momentarily disjointed. The equalizer finally arrived in the 37th minute through an unexpected turn of events. A back-pass intended for a teammate was intercepted by Galatasaray’s Davinson Sánchez, who inadvertently directed the ball into his own net.
The goal shifted the momentum and Frankfurt intensified their pressure. In added time of the first half, the hosts completed a turnaround. Can Uzun found the back of the net after a cross from Jonathan Burkardt and a pass from Ritsu Doan; moments later, Burkardt headed in a free kick from Farès Chaïbi, both goals resulting from rapid and accurate combinations in the penalty area.
Frankfurt maintained their control throughout the second half. In the 66th minute, Burkardt extended the lead to 4-1, following a pass from Ansgar Knauff to left-back Nathaniel Brown, who crossed the ball into the center, where Burkardt headed it in, with a slight deflection. Ansgar Knauff finalized the scoreline at 5-1 in the 75th minute, capitalizing on a tackle initiated by Elye Wahi against Gabriel Sara, who promptly passed the ball to Knauff, allowing him to slot it past the goalkeeper.
Throughout the match, Eintracht Frankfurt displayed dominance through controlled build-up play, swift wing attacks and consistent pressing. Galatasaray struggled to create significant scoring opportunities, with many of their attempts stifled in midfield.
