18.02.2026 11:50
Praise poured in for Galatasaray, who defeated Juventus 5-2 in the Champions League Play-Off round. Nihat Kahveci, while praising the performance of the yellow-reds, said, "No one should say it's the old Juventus." Highlighting Barış Alper Yılmaz's performance, Kahveci stated, "If I saw Barış right now, I would kiss his feet. He made a bad cross at the beginning of the second half, and the fans applauded. After that, he was simply flowing on the field. Count that he made two players receive red cards. He paralyzed Juventus from there."
Galatasaray, which defeated Juventus 5-2 in the UEFA Champions League Play-Off round, received praise. Nihat Kahveci, who spoke after the match, drew attention with his statement, "No one should say it's the old Juventus" while praising the performance of the yellow-reds.
"WE SHOULD BE PROUD AS TURKEY"
Galatasaray, which ended the first half 2-1 behind, shifted gears in the second half. On a night when Noa Lang scored two goals, Gabriel Sara, Davinson Sanchez, and Sacha Boey also contributed to the score. After Juventus was reduced to 10 men, the yellow-reds took complete control of the game and achieved a historic victory.
Evaluating the match on the Kontraspor YouTube channel, Nihat Kahveci said, "We should be proud as Turkey. Everyone will talk about Galatasaray in the world. They scored 5 goals against Juventus, 5! It's not easy. I am very proud. There were excellent performances. Let's talk about what comes after passing this round. I am hopeful for the future. This squad was not built for nothing," he said.
"I WOULD KISS BARIS' FEET"
Praising Barış Alper Yılmaz's performance, Kahveci said, "If I saw Barış right now, I would kiss his feet. He made a bad cross at the beginning of the second half, and the fans applauded. After that, he was literally flowing on the field. Count how many red cards he made the two players receive. He paralyzed Juventus from there," he stated.
Responding to criticisms of Juventus's performance, Kahveci said, "No one should tell me it's the old Juventus or that they played badly at this level. I do not accept that in such matches. Let's appreciate the value of playing at this level," he said.
Touching on the compatibility between Osimhen and Yunus Akgün, the experienced commentator said, "Osimhen is a very ambitious player. He made 2 assists today. Yunus and Osimhen were very incompatible. It seems like Yunus has lost confidence in his head, not physically. May he be well. I expect him to recover and play better," he said.