Sport

Man Utd vs Galatasaray: Complete head-to-head record

November 22, 2023

Two of the most passionately supported clubs in European football, Manchester United and Galatasaray have been relatively frequent foes in the past.

Whether the fever-pitch atmosphere of Old Trafford on a Champions League night or the cauldron that is the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul, there have been some memorable affairs between these two giants.

Man Utd have faced no other Turkish side with greater regularity, nor have Galatasaray encountered another English club on a more frequent basis, with the two sides’ first meetings dating back to 1993.

Here’s the lowdown on Man Utd vs Galatasaray and a complete head-to-head record between the teams.

A six-goal thriller began this fixture’s history / Gary M. Prior/GettyImages

The first battle between these two teams came at Old Trafford in 1993, a six-goal thriller in the Champions League between Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd and Reiner Hollmann’s Galatasaray.

Bryan Robson gave the hosts an early three-minute lead with a close-range effort, before Hakan Sukur’s unfortunate headed own goal from a corner doubled their advantage.

A beautiful effort from Arif Erdem cut the deficit two minutes later, with Kubilay Turkyilmaz’s brace shocking the Old Trafford crowd and giving Galatasaray a surprise lead.

However, Eric Cantona popped up with a late equaliser to keep United in with a chance of progressing beyond the second round heading into the second leg in Turkey.

Man Utd crashed out of Europe / Tom Jenkins/GettyImages

A chaotic second leg in Istanbul ended in anger on and off the pitch for Man Utd players and supporters. The visitors couldn’t overcome the riotous atmosphere inside the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, crashing out of Europe on away goals.

Travelling Man Utd fans were treated horrifically by police in Istanbul, 164 supporters chucked in Turkish cells and others not allowed into the stadium to even watch their side play.

Eric Cantona saw red before the final whistle for insulting the referee and was later attacked by a policeman in what turned out to be a nightmarish trip to Turkey.

Man Utd had been greeted with a banner that read ‘Welcome to Hell’ before the match and it ended up being a horrible night for the Red Devils.

Man Utd got their revenge the following season / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages

After crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Galatasaray the previous season, Man Utd exacted their revenge at Old Trafford during the 1994/95 campaign.

The Red Devils put four unanswered goals past their Turkish visitors, making the dream start after just two minutes when Simon Davies rattled home the opener.

David Beckham doubled United’s advantage, while Roy Keane’s wonderful solo strike put the game beyond doubt. Bulent Korkmaz’s comical own goal put the icing on the cake for Ferguson’s men with just three minutes remaining.

Unfortunately for Man Utd, they still couldn’t make it out of the group stage, having drawn at Galatasaray in the reverse fixture back in September.

Man Utd fell to defeat in Turkey / Laurence Griffiths/GettyImages

With Man Utd having already qualified in top spot for the 2012/13 Champions League group stage, Ferguson fielded weaker and more inexperienced lineups for his side’s final two matches.

Galatasaray were the first team to benefit from Man Utd’s rotation, Burak Yilmaz’s header firing the Turkish giants to a memorable win, even if it was against a much-changed Red Devils side.

Man Utd then went on to lose their final group game at home to Romanian minnows CFR Cluj, proceeding to crash out in the round of 16 against Real Madrid.

Zaha came back to bite Man Utd / Michael Regan/GettyImages

Another characteristically dramatic clash between the two sides came in the 2023/24 Champions League group stages, the first time Man Utd and Galatasaray had met for over a decade.

Rasmus Hojlund had given the hosts the lead after 17 minutes, but former Man Utd reject Wilfried Zaha levelled the scores with a well-taken strike after bullying Diogo Dalot.

Hojlund may have put Man Utd back ahead, but there was plenty of drama to come. Kerem Akturkoglu equalised once again just four minutes later before Casemiro was sent off for a second yellow card following his late tackle in the penalty area.

Mauro Icardi stepped up but sent his penalty wide, although the Argentine striker more than made up for it with a delicate chip with ten minutes remaining to punish Man Utd’s subpar performance.

It was a famous night for Galatasaray and another woeful one for Erik ten Hag and Man Utd at Old Trafford in 2023.