Juventus suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat against Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs, played on February 17, 2026. Despite a brace from Teun Koopmeiners, the Bianconeri were unable to contain the Turkish offensive, significantly complicating their path to the group stage.

The match saw a lightning-fast start with Sara putting Galatasaray ahead in the 15th minute, but Koopmeiners responded almost immediately in the 16th. The Juventus midfielder then doubled his tally in the 32nd minute, giving his team a momentary lead. However, the second half saw Galatasaray take complete control.

In the second half, Galatasaray ran rampant. Lang equalized in the 49th minute and then completed his personal brace in the 75th. In between, Sanchez put the Turks ahead in the 60th minute, while Boey sealed the deal in the 86th, setting the final score at 5-2.

Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti fielded a lineup that included Di Gregorio in goal, with Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, and Cambiaso in defense. In midfield, Koopmeiners, Locatelli, and Thuram tried to dictate play, while Conceicao, McKennie, and Yildiz formed the attacking trident. For Galatasaray, coach Buruk entrusted the attack to Osimhen, supported by Yilmaz, Yunus Akgun, and Lang.

The game was also marked by several cards. For Juventus, Cambiaso and coach Spalletti were booked, while Cabal received both a yellow card and a red card. Substitutions saw Gatti come on for Bremer in the 34th minute and Cabal for Cambiaso in the 46th, among other changes made by both teams to try and influence the outcome.

This result places Juventus in an extremely difficult position ahead of the return leg. The team will have a mountain to climb to overturn the heavy deficit and hope to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage.