Galatasaray 2-0 VfB Stuttgart: result and report

The Pundit picked Galatasaray (40%): correct

Report

Galatasaray beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0, but the scoreline makes the win look more comfortable than it was. Aleksey Batrakov decided the match with two goals in three minutes, while Stuttgart created the better chances and finished with nothing.

Batrakov opened the scoring on 12 minutes. He struck again on 15, this time from Davinson Sánchez's assist. Despite most of the match still to play, neither side scored again.

The chance numbers point the other way from the result. Stuttgart finished with 1.61 xG to Galatasaray's 1.19. They also had five shots on target to four and created four big chances to two. They missed all four of those big chances and hit the woodwork once, so a side that could have scored more than once left without a goal.

That gap between chances and goals is the story of the match. Galatasaray did their damage in a short spell, and their goalkeeper then made five saves to protect the lead. Stuttgart's goalkeeper was asked to make only two. The rest of the contest was close: Stuttgart edged the shots 12 to 11 and had the higher average pressure, while possession was almost even.

Stuttgart's finishing problem also reached their main scorer. Ermedin Demirovic started after scoring four goals in the competition's previous matches, yet he could not add to that total here. For a side that generated more than Galatasaray in front of goal, that is the frustration they will take away.