Galatasaray SK secured a 2-0 victory over Stuttgart to inflict a first defeat of the Champions League campaign on the German outfit, propelled by a ruthless double from Russian talent Aleksey Batrakov, who catapulted himself amongst the tournament's leading scorers. Stuttgart arrived into Istanbul's fiery atmosphere on the back of two wins and a draw against Atletico Madrid, but keenly felt the absence of key men Vagnoman and Angeloa Stiller in a frantic, chance-laden contest.

Roared on by their vocal home support, the hosts dismantled the competition's meanest defence—Stuttgart had conceded just twice prior to kick-off, level with Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven—courtesy of an outstanding display from Batrakov, who continues to establish his credentials among European football's brightest prospects, widely tipped as the next Andrei Arshavin.

Stuttgart almost drew first blood with their opening venture forward. In the seventh minute, Mittelstadt swung in a cross from the left that found an unmarked Lewelling at the back post. Lashing from inside the six-yard box, his effort remarkably struck both posts in an astonishing escape that spared the hosts. It proved the opening chapter of a wild encounter, and just five minutes later, Galatasaray broke the deadlock.

A poor clearance from the visitors' backline fell straight to Batrakov, who arrowed a strike into the top corner to raise the roof at Rams Park. Still buoyed by the opener, Batrakov latched onto an incisive through-ball from Davinson Sanchez and slotted his finish through the legs of Bredlow to grab his second on 15 minutes, wrapping up five minutes of pure pandemonium.

The clash remained feisty thereafter. Heated skirmishes, controversy—bringing four bookings before the interval—and chances flowed for both sides, but the 2-0 advantage stayed firm at the break. The script barely changed in the second period, with both teams threatening to score. Fuhric rifled a superb finish into the corner, but an offside call against Undav in the build-up wiped it out and extinguished Stuttgart's fading comeback hopes.

Consequently, the German club succumbed for the first time this term on the continent, while Galatasaray recorded their second victory to move onto six points and keep their qualification dream firmly alive.