Galatasaray hopes of securing an automatic spot to the knockout stages of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League was dealt a major blow as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to French side AS Monaco on Tuesday night, SportPremi Reports.
Folarin Balogun scored the only goal of the game in the second half for Le Rocher, who had an earlier penalty attempt saved, as they recorded their second win in six games in the league phase.
Monaco moved up to 18th on the 36-team standings with nine points, same as Galatasaray who occupy the 17th position, but are ahead on goal difference.
Galatasaray lose again as Balogun snatch win for Monaco
Monaco entered the clash with a single win and three draws so far from five matches, while they had also lost once.
Galatasaray, on the other hand, had won three and lost two of their first five matches, but were defeated 1-0 in their previous outing against Union Saint-Gilloise.
Former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan had the first chance of the match, but blazed over from a promising angle.
Baris Alper Yilmaz then struck the outside of the post with an effort, while Maghnes Akliouche was denied twice by the away goalkeeper as the first half ended goalless.
The hosts were awarded a penalty in the second half after Minamino was brought down by Davinson Sanchez, as Dennis Zakaria failed to beat the visitors goalkeeper with a tame effort.
Balogun then missed another clear chance to open scoring, although he finally did that in the 68th minute, bundling home an effort after a corner kick to give the home side a one-goal advantage.
The match ended in a 1-0 scoreline as Osimhen could not inspire a comeback for Galatasaray, who suffered their third defeat of the campaign.
Players Ratings:
Monaco Players Ratings
- Hradecky – 7.7
- Vanderson – 8.4
- Kehrer – 6.9
- Salisu – 7.5
- Henrique – 7.7
- Zakaria – 7.0
- Camara – 7.8
- Akliouche – 7.4
- Minamino – 7.2
- Golovin – 7.3
- Balogun – 8.0
Substitutes
- Teze – 6.3
- Ouattara – n/a
- Biereth – n/a
Galatasaray Players Ratings
- Cakir – 8.5
- Jakobs – 6.5
- Bardakci – 6.8
- Sanchez – 6.7
- Sallai – 7.2
- Sara – 7.1
- Torreira – 6.9
- Yilmaz – 7.0
- Gundogan – 6.5
- Sane – 6.6
- Osimhen – 6.5
Substitutes
- Akgun – 6.1
- Guvenc – 6.2
- Icardi – 6.1
Man of the match
Ugurcan Cakir (8.5/10) – The Galatasaray goalkeeper prevented his side from a bigger margin of defeat, making four saves including a penalty, before he was substituted with injury.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Monaco 42% – 68% Galatasaray
Total Shots: Monaco 19 – 13 Galatasaray
Shots on Target: Monaco 5 – 2 Galatasaray
Pass Accuracy: Monaco 77% – 85% Galatasaray
Corners: Monaco 7 – 3 Galatasaray
What next?
Monaco return to the French Ligue One next Sunday with a tough test against Olympique Marseille, while Galatasaray visit Antalyaspor in the Turkish league on Saturday.
