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Real Madrid travelled to Turkey to take on Galatasaray, as they looked to get their Champions League campaign back on track. The Los Blancos have been underwhelming in Europe this season and went into the game having tallied one point from two games.
In a tightly-contested affair that could have panned out either way, the away side registered a hard-fought 1-0 victory thanks to a first-half strike from Toni Kroos.
Zinedine Zidane's side took the lead against the run of play after Eden Hazard unselfishly teed up Toni Kroos in the first-half. The Belgian international was clean through on goal but opted to square the ball to Kroos, whose shot landed up in the back of the net via a deflection.
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Galatasaray were left to rue their missed opportunities and their chances of advancing to the knockout stages took a massive blow.
The home side had plenty of chances to take the lead in the first-half but a combination of poor finishing and wonderful goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois ensured that they failed to find the back of the net.
Courtois was called into action multiple times and he delivered the goods in stunning style. The Belgian international has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks for his performances between the sticks but he made a series of impressive saves to prevent his side from going behind.
As Real Madrid registered their first Champions League victory of the season, let's look at three reasons why they returned to winning ways in Europe.
#1 Galatasaray were wasteful in front of goal
Despite ending up on the wrong end of the result, Galatasaray created a handful of goalscoring opportunities but were left to rue their missed chances.
Real Madrid took the lead against the run of play after the home side had been thwarted on the other end by Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian international looked to be back to his best as he produced a series of stunning saves, particularly in the first half but the Turkish side will feel hard done by the result after they failed to make their chances count.
Zinedine Zidane's side registered their first Champions League victory of the season but on another day, it could have been a different story as the home side weren't clinical enough in front of goal.
#2 Thibaut Courtois produced a stunning display between the sticks
In the opening exchanges, Galatasaray looked by far the better side and created several clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. The Real Madrid backline was breached on multiple occasions but the home side failed to put the ball in the back of the net thanks to Thibaut Courtois' heroics.
The Belgian shot-stopper was called into action twice in the first-half and he came big for his side on both occasions with a pair of stunning saves to deny the opposition attackers.
Real Madrid took the lead against the run of play and managed to protect their lead for the rest of the game thanks to their goalkeeper.
Courtois has been criticized for his underwhelming performances this season but the former Chelsea man was amongst the best players on the pitch, as the Spanish giants got their Champions League campaign up and running with a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
#3 Casemiro ran the show in midfield once again
As the 13-time Champions League winners travelled to Turkey on the lookout for their first win of the season in Europe, the game was anything but straightforward as Galatasaray put up a spirited performance.
Casemiro, in recent seasons, has developed a reputation of being one of the most reliable defensive midfielders in world football and the Brazilian international was in the thick of the action once again as he ran the show in the centre of the park.
Starting in a midfield trio alongside Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde, the former Porto man was at his brilliant best as he dominated proceedings from the get-go.
Real Madrid failed to control the game as well as they'd have liked but Casemiro's influence was evident, as his all-round performance ensured that the Los Blancos earned a hard-fought victory.
The 27-year-old has been one of the standout players for Real Madrid this season and has established himself as an indispensable member of Zinedine Zidane's squad.
