Galatasaray hold Barcelona to abnormal performance
Barcelona draw was been hold to a goalless draw in the first leg of their round of 16 match against Galatasaray at the Camp Nou on Thursday.
Xavi Hernandez’s side advanced to the last-16 of the Champions League
with a convincing 4-2 win over Napoli in the second leg of their playoff round,
capping an eight-game unbeaten run for the Catalans.
Barcelona were unable to find a way past the Turkish Super Lig team despite dominating possession in the first half, and the score stayed 0-0 at halftime.
As the second half progressed, Ousmane Dembele blasted a powerful drive from far over the bar,
and Frenkie de Jong hit the post immediately after as Barcelona looked for an early lead.
Galatasaray appeared to have taken the lead against the run of play in the 78th minute when Bafetimbi Gomis scored,
but the goal disallowed due to an offside flag.
Barcelona plagued Galatasaray with 14 goal efforts to only three for the Turkish club,
who were aid by several great stops from 23-year-old Spanish goalkeeper Inaki Pena.
Galatasaray also had chances,
with winger Kerem Akturkoglu’s pace and skill set posing a persistent threat to the Barcelona defence.
