Galatasaray 1 - 0 Manchester Utd: United beaten, but pain of defeat not so bad this time

MANCHESTER United got burned once more on their return to ‘Hell’ as Galatasaray ended their 100 per cent record in Champions League Group H. Burak Yilmaz’s second-half goal was enough to give the Turkish side a deserved victory and take them to the brink of qualification for the knockout stage.

United’s position in the last 16 was already confirmed so the damage, beyond any sustained as a result of the ear-splitting din, can not be compared to the tumult that unfolded on United’s first meeting with Galatasaray in Istanbul 19 years ago.

Indeed, for untested youngsters such as Nick Powell it may prove to be a very valuable part of their footballing education. At 18 years and 242 days, Powell was becoming the second youngest Englishman to feature for United in the Champions League.

The Turks’ goal came in the 54th minute when Alex Ferguson’s men were caught napping at a corner, with Yilmaz finding enough room on the edge of the six-yard box to steer his header into the net.

It was a sorry goal to concede, not least because it meant they had not properly dealt with the threat of a player responsible for Galatasaray’s entire Champions League haul of five up to that point.

In addition, it extended the unhappy statistic of conceding the first goal in 12 out of 17 Premier League and Champions League games. It could have been worse, too, as Hamit Altintop rattled Lindegaard’s crossbar later on with a ferocious long-range effort.

Galatasaray: Muslera, Eboue, Kaya, Nounkeu, Riera, Altintop, Inan, Felipe Melo, Amrabat, Burak Yilmaz, Elmander. Subs: Ceylan, Cris, Bulut, Birinci, Kurtulus, Baytar, Colak.

Manchester United: Lindegaard, Da Silva, Jones, Carrick, Buttner, Anderson, Fletcher, Cleverley, Powell, Welbeck, Hernandez. Subs: Johnstone, Young, Macheda, Wootton, Cole, Vermijl, King.