Istanbul heavyweight Galatasaray missed a chance to win against Barcelona as the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first leg match ended in a goalless draw Thursday.
Barça couldn't score against the solid Lions defense despite mostly dominating the match at Camp Nou as Galatasaray's wunderkind Kerem Aktürkoğlu shined with a brilliant performance.
The good display of Galatasaray goalie Inaki Pena, who is a former Barcelona keeper and is on loan at the Lions, didn't help matters for Barça either.
The Yellow-Reds missed a few chances and then Galatasaray's Bafetimbi Gomis scored in the 78th minute, just 10 minutes after entering the match, but the referee disallowed the goal due to an offside after consulting with video assistant referee (VAR).
The second leg match will be held at Istanbul's Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex Nef Stadium on March 17.
The 2022 Europa League final will be played at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in Seville, Spain on May 25.
