How did Flick assess Barcelona's 4-1 victory in Istanbul?

14 October 2026, 14:01·37·Sport

In the 2nd round of the UEFA Champions League league phase, Catalonia's «Barcelona» club was a guest of Istanbul's fiery stadium against «Galatasaray», securing a crushing 4:1 victory. After the match, the head coach of the "blaugrana" Hansi Flick gave an interview to the influential Spanish publication AS, sharing his impressions of the difficult encounter.

Acknowledging his team's resolute character, the German specialist openly stated the need to work on certain shortcomings and decision-making in the attack.

Hansi Flick: «Winning in such an environment is always difficult»

The coach of «Barcelona» noted that the clash in Istanbul took place under expected pressure and intensity:

Resolute comeback: «We played well, but it was not easy at all. The opponent created a good opportunity and capitalized on it to take the lead. However, our team responded adequately and took control of the game," Flick said;
Problems in attack: Despite the victory, the coach also mentioned shortcomings: «Every match in the Champions League is extremely hard-fought. Sometimes we made mistakes in making final decisions in the attacking zone of the pitch»;
Overcoming pressure: Flick specifically highlighted that despite the difficult environment created by «Galatasaray» fans, the Catalans secured an important 3 points.

How the match went: from 0:1 to 4:1

Although the showdown in Turkey started with the hosts' activity, «Barcelona» completely dominated the game:

Hosts' goal: In the 28th minute, Aleksey Batrakov opened the scoring for «Galatasaray», setting the stadium abuzz;
Catalans' response strikes: Having seized the initiative after conceding the goal, «Barcelona» scored four consecutive goals into the opponent's net;
Scorers: The winning goals were authored by João Cancelo, Fermín López, Anthony Gordon, and Karim Adeyemi.

This major away victory allowed «Barcelona» to further strengthen its position in the Champions League table and clearly demonstrate its contender strength in the tournament.