UCL: Swiss side shock Galatasaray
Galatasaray 0 - 1 Young Boys
Young Boys won 4 - 2 on aggregate
After a tense 86 minutes, Mauro Icardi’s blocked shot led to a rapid counter-attack by Young Boys with Cedric Itten setting up Alan Virginius, who outpaced his marker to slot home the decisive goal in the 87th minute, sealing a 1-0 victory. Galatasaray, favourites going into the tie, never managed to live up to expectations.
A closer look at what happened
After a first leg defeat. fans expected a fiery response from Galatasaray. However, the Turkish champions, known as "the Lions," failed to muster more than a faint roar in their home stadium for most of the match. As the clock ticked down and defeat loomed, Galatasaray created a handful of chances, but none of them posed a serious threat.
Champions League: 2024/2025 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
The visitors from Bern celebrated reaching Europe’s top competition for the second season in a row, fully deserving the win and creating numerous chances that could have extended their lead.
Silvère Ganvoula narrowly missed twice, hitting the post with headers in the 31st and 61st minutes. On the first occasion, Ebrima Colley appeared to score on the rebound, but the goal was disallowed due to offside.
And Galatasaray? Despite having a squad valued at over 200 million Euros (compared to the Swiss side's value of around 60 million Euros) and the passionate support of their home fans, they were largely toothless. Last season's match against Manchester United must have seemed a lifetime ago.
Bern goalkeeper Marvin Keller was only called into action once during the first half. Keller, who stepped in for the injured David von Ballmoos, showed calmness and composure despite the intimidating atmosphere.
The Swiss side’s players, equally unfazed, kept the home side and their fans at bay, leading to frustration and tempers flaring on the pitch and in the stands, with incidents like objects being thrown and touchline scuffles. The Bern players, however, remained focused and celebrated an unexpected triumph.
The victory also extended the away sides impressive unbeaten streak in Champions League play-offs to ten matches, highlighting their consistency at the highest level of European competition. Dominating Swiss football in recent years, they have missed out on the domestic title just once since 2018.
This win against Galatasaray, who stormed to the Turkish title last season with a record points tally, was particularly remarkable. Bern had struggled at the start of their own season and sat winless at the bottom of the league table. Progressing against a side full of star talent was far from expected.
Young Boys will now make their fourth appearance in the Champions League group stages, following campaigns in 2018, 2021, and 2023.
