Batrakov Double Puts Galatasaray in Control at the Break

Aleksey Batrakov scored twice in three first-half minutes as Galatasaray took a 2-0 lead over VfB Stuttgart into the break at RAMS Park. The 12th-minute opener came from open play, Batrakov finishing right-footed without an assist. Three minutes later, Davinson Sánchez supplied the pass and Batrakov converted again, this time from a move worth 0.15 expected goals.

The double gives Batrakov 0.52 xG for the half — more than two-thirds of Galatasaray's entire first-half output of 0.76. Stuttgart, by contrast, generated 0.70 xG and did not register a single shot on target. Galatasaray put three of their seven attempts on target; Stuttgart managed none from five.

Galatasaray's 58 percent possession translated into 140 accurate passes at 76 percent, against Stuttgart's 93 at 72 percent. The hosts also edged opposition-half passes 62-56 and duels 26-21. But the chance-creation numbers are tighter than the scoreline suggests: Stuttgart's 0.70 xG came entirely from open play, while Galatasaray needed 0.15 from set plays to reach 0.76. Big chances finished level at 2-2, and touches in the box were nearly identical — 11 for Galatasaray, 10 for Stuttgart.

Jamie Leweling was Stuttgart's most dangerous outlet with 0.57 xG, but the visitors could not turn that into a shot on target. Barış Alper Yılmaz had a quiet half for Galatasaray at 0.01 xG, while Yunus Akgün's contribution did not register a measurable xG value.

Galatasaray lined up in a 4-2-3-1; Stuttgart set up in a 3-4-1-2. The German side committed seven fouls to Galatasaray's four and collected three yellow cards to the hosts' one — a sign of how often they were second to the ball in midfield. Stuttgart's back three faced constant pressure from Batrakov's movement between the lines, and the second goal exposed the gap between the wide centre-backs and the wing-backs.

Sánchez's assist on the second goal was the only registered helper of the half. Galatasaray's four corners to Stuttgart's two reflect their territorial edge, but the expected-goals margin — 0.76 to 0.70 — is the thinnest possible. Stuttgart have created enough to believe a goal is available if they can find the target after the break. Galatasaray, meanwhile, have the cushion and the finisher.