19.02.2025 19:20
Galatasaray will face AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 playoff match, aiming to advance in front of their home crowd after losing 4-1 in the first leg. The yellow-reds are targeting to make history by reaching the next round for the first time in 37 years. Cimbom had previously advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Neuchatel Xamax 5-0 in Istanbul after losing the first leg of the 1988-1989 UEFA Champions Cup third round 3-0.
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In the round of 16 play-off of the UEFA Europa League, Galatasaray, which lost the first match 4-1, will host the Dutch representative AZ Alkmaar in Istanbul tomorrow, aiming to achieve a new success like Neuchatel Xamax.
IF THEY ADVANCE, IT WILL BE A FIRST IN 37 YEARS
In the 3rd round of the UEFA Champions Cup in the 1988-1989 season, the yellow-reds, who lost the first match 3-0 away to the Swiss team Neuchatel Xamax, won the return match in Istanbul on November 9, 1988, with a historic score of 5-0, becoming quarter-finalists, and they will try to replicate a similar success in the challenging match against AZ Alkmaar. Galatasaray, which has been the target of criticism due to the result of the first match and the displayed football, aims to write a new comeback story 37 years after the victory over Neuchatel Xamax, which holds an important place in the club's history.
ONLY ADVANCED IN 1 OF 5 MATCHES
Before the AZ Alkmaar match, Galatasaray's statistics in UEFA competitions show that the Dutch team is more likely to advance. The yellow-red team has only managed to advance in one of the five knockout round matchups where they previously lost the first match away by a margin of 3 or more goals in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League and the Champions Cup/Champions League.
The only team Galatasaray eliminated in European competitions after losing the first match away by a margin of 3 or more goals was Neuchatel Xamax in the 3rd round of the 1988-1989 season of the Champions Cup. In four similar matchups, the yellow-red team could not avoid elimination. In two of the five matchups, Galatasaray faced the Dutch representative PSV, losing 3-0 and 5-1 away, and failed to achieve the score needed to advance in the return matches in Istanbul.
RESULTS IN THESE 5 MATCHUPS
Galatasaray's matches in European cups where they lost the first away match by a margin of 3 or more goals and their return matches are as follows;
- 1987-88 Champions Cup 1st Round: PSV 0-3 (A) / 2-0 (Eliminated)
- 1988-89 Champions Cup 2nd Round: Neuchatel Xamax 0-3 (A) / 5-0 (Advanced)
- 1988-89 Champions Cup Semi-Final: Steaua Bucharest 0-4 (A) / 1-1 (Eliminated)
- 2012-13 Champions League Quarter-Final: Real Madrid 0-3 (A) / 3-2 (Eliminated)
- 2021-22 Champions League 2nd Round: PSV 1-5 (A) / 1-2 (Eliminated)
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