Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen’s penalty was not enough to secure victory for Galatasaray as Dynamo Kyiv staged a spirited comeback to claim their first point of the campaign in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The visitors stunned the home side at the Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi in Istanbul during the six-goal spectacle.
The result leaves Galatasaray on 13 points, while Dynamo Kyiv, after seven matches, finally ended their losing streak on Tuesday night.
The game started explosively for the Turkish side.
Davinson Sánchez opened the scoring with a header in the 6th minute, and Abdülkerim Bardakçı doubled the lead in the 21st minute, putting Galatasaray in early control.
However, Dynamo Kyiv refused to capitulate, with Vladyslav Vanat pulling one back in the 44th minute, just before half-time, to make it 2-1.
Osimhen restored Galatasaray’s two-goal cushion from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute, but Andriy Yarmolenko stole the show for Dynamo Kyiv.
Yarmolenko netted twice, in the 68th and 81st minutes, silencing the home crowd and securing a hard-earned draw for his side.
After the match, Osimhen expressed frustration but remained optimistic: “We couldn’t win this match, but our goal is to beat Ajax away next week.
“Results like this happen. We created plenty of chances, but unfortunately, the scoreline didn’t reflect our performance.”
Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk praised his team’s effort but acknowledged their defensive shortcomings.
He stated: “We scored early and were eager to add more. We got the third goal, but we couldn’t manage a fourth. We concede too many goals, and that’s the biggest problem we need to solve.”
Defender Davinson Sánchez shared similar concerns: “This was a bad result. We need to improve in one-on-one situations and teamwork. They scored two goals from set pieces. We are Galatasaray, and we are all responsible for this.”
For Dynamo Kyiv, the result was a significant morale boost.
Midfielder Roman Salenko, making his European debut, said: “Words cannot describe my emotions. We showed character today and what we’re capable of. Next season, we’ll aim to do even better in Europe.”
Teammate Oleksandr Pikhalonok added: “The stadium atmosphere was incredible. [Yarmolenko] is an example for us both on and off the field.”
Dynamo coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi praised his team’s resilience: “We knew how strong Galatasaray were. We made mistakes early but showed character to fight back and get this result.”