“It's going to be a lot of fun. Even if I lose, I intend to play the right way." Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim boldly uttered these words before the team's quarterfinal test against Real Madrid. Terim was ready to step onto the battlefield with his army consisting of Didier Drogba, Burak Yilmaz, and Wesley Sneijder in attack. Would history repeat itself once again when Galatasaray beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the quarterfinals on April 3, 2001?
It was to be expected Los Blancos would come to play at the Santiago Bernabéu with a bang. It was too much for Galatasaray to handle the link-up between Mesut Özil and Cristiano Ronaldo. This understanding between the two caused problems for Galatasaray's midfield and the duo bulldozed through the fragile defensive line. Ultimately, this lead to the opening goal. Muslera's added poor judgment was enough for Ronaldo to take a perfectly timed run and lob the ball into the post. Karim Benzema was looking more threatening as time ticked on. Benzema had his say when Eboué's hesitation helped him achieve his 30th Champions League goal. Three defenders were near Benzema, but none were able to do an effective job. The deficiencies in defence were ever present as an unmarked Higuaín scored the final goal of the night through a header. Overall, defence was lacking clear focus and much-needed discipline. It was a night of clinical finishing from Real Madrid and a below-average Galatasaray back-line.
Although both teams were close in passes and possession wise, there was a spark missing in Galatasaray's attack. Burak Yilmaz wasn't his usual goal-scoring machine and seemed to be drifting in and out of the game. He had a good chance in the 27th minute and again in the 35th, but the poorly controlled shot was not converted. Drogba looked more aware and was all over the pitch in the first half. From Galatasaray's 11 shots, Drogba had taken 3. There were moments where he successfully slipped past Real Madrid's fine-tuned defence. However, these moments didn't materialize into anything more than chances and the finishing in the final third was lacking. Real Madrid were able to close down the balls coming from Gala's half and were keen not to free up too much space in the process. Selçuk Inan, Wesley Sneijder, Felipe Melo, and Hamit Altintop all tried their level best to move the ball up, but Real Madrid collectively worked together to neutralize their attempts. It was impressive to see Galatasaray push forward through intricate passing, though it was difficult to find the strike force. This frustration was more than visible. Instead of finding strikers up front, players would shoot from far-range. Galatasaray could've better utilized set pieces, too. The most controversial decision of the match came when referee Oddvar Moen didn't caution Sergio Ramos for stepping on Burak Yilmaz's foot in the box, which would have lead to a penalty. Moen decided to book Burak for diving. This poses a huge blow for Terim's men since Yilmaz will be missing the return leg at Türk Telekom Arena. Cimbom will also be without the services of Dany Nounkeu due to yellow card accumulation.
With a 3-goal advantage, people believe Real Madrid are already through to the semifinals. It'll be a testament to Galatasaray's character to overcome this deficit because Mourinho commands a team that rarely falters. What Galatasaray will have to channel is a "never die" attitude. Terim will need a game plan as well as creativity to match goals and prevent Real Madrid from scoring. A feat that is easier said than done. Anything is possible and everything is unpredictable in football, however.
Written by: Goral Patel
Follow me on Twitter: @goralpatel
FT: Real Madrid 3-0 Galatasaray
Goals
Ronaldo - 9'
Benzema - 29’
Higuaín - 73’
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| Image via Getty Images |
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| Image via Galatasaray |
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| Image via @English_AS (Twitter) |
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