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Galatasaray earned a crucial point in their quest for Champions League knockout stage qualification, holding Spanish giants Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 draw at Rams Park on Wednesday evening. The result keeps the Turkish champions' hopes alive heading into their final league phase match.
The Istanbul club now sits on 10 points from seven matches, while Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid moved to 13 points. Galatasaray will face their toughest test yet when they travel to Manchester City on January 28 for their final league phase fixture.
Atletico Madrid struck first in the fourth minute when Giuliano Simeone headed home a cross from Matteo Ruggeri at the back post. The visitors appeared poised to control the match, with Julian Alvarez narrowly missing the near post just moments earlier in the third minute.
Galatasaray's equalizer came in fortunate fashion in the 20th minute. After Leroy Sane found Roland Sallai on the right side of the penalty area, the Hungarian winger drove to the byline and sent in a dangerous cross. Atletico defender Marcos Llorente deflected the ball into his own net from six yards out to level the score at 1-1.
The Turkish side nearly took the lead before halftime when Yunus Akgun sent a ball to the back post for Baris Alper Yilmaz, but his quick shot sailed over the crossbar.
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk made two changes from the lineup that drew 1-1 with Gaziantep FK in domestic league play. Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen returned to the starting XI after a 39-day absence, having last played on December 13 against Antalyaspor before joining Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, where his team finished third.
Senegalese left-back Ismail Jakobs also returned from the tournament, where he celebrated championship glory with Senegal. Jakobs arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday morning and joined the squad at midday, earning a spot on the bench.
Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara was included in the matchday squad despite suffering a lateral collateral ligament tear in his left knee approximately one week ago. Medical staff determined the injury carried no risk of worsening with proper precautions.
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Before the match began, players, officials and supporters observed a minute of silence for victims of a train crash near Barcelona, Spain. Galatasaray's administration distributed approximately 50,000 yellow and red flags throughout Rams Park to create an atmospheric backdrop for the high-stakes European fixture.
Former Trabzonspor striker Alexander Sorloth appeared in Türkiye for the first time in five years, having last played in the country during a Champions League match for RB Leipzig against Istanbul Basaksehir on Dec 2, 2020.
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