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The atmosphere at this weekend’s Michigan-Ohio State game in Ann Arbor, Michigan was definitely pretty hostile for Ohio State fans and players as the Wolverines topped the Buckeyes, 30-24. But, I can promise you, nothing was as openly hostile as what happened prior to Turkish soccer club Galatasaray’s home Champions League match against Manchester United on Wednesday.
Frequently, soccer clubs around the world have “tifos” which are basically messages spelled out via colored placards assigned to specific seats in the stands. Normally, these are team slogans, symbols or badges, and occasionally special messages.
But, Istanbul-based Galatasaray’s fans wanted to make world giants Manchester United feel very uncomfortable. Take a look.
Welcome to hell. 😈
Galatasaray fans welcome Manchester United with an incredible tifo. 😳 pic.twitter.com/EkymhbcAf6
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 29, 2023
That’s incredible. Job well done Galatasaray. And, the match itself went spectacularly for the Turkish side. They rallied for a 3-3 draw, putting them in second place in the group with 5 points, a point ahead of Manchester United. Danish side Copenhagen, who plays Bayern Munich this afternoon in a match they will almost certainly lose, also has four points, while Bayern is on 13 points. There is one more match day remaining in the second week of December, with Manchester United playing Bayern Munich, and Galatasaray playing Copenhagen. The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage in 2024.
Galatasaray will control their destiny to make the knockout stages. With a win over Copenhagen, they will advance through to the final sixteen clubs in Europe after having to go through summer qualifying to even make the Champions League Group Stage.
As for Manchester United, the “welcome to hell” message was perfect. After going out in front 2-0 early, they had to settle for a draw when they really needed the three points that come with a win. Yes, it’s an away match, but a club of Manchester United’s stature has to find a way to win that match. Now, their Champions League life is in serious jeopardy, as they will need a result against Bayern Munich and the right result from the Galatasaray-Copenhagen match to get through.