Galatasaray and Schalke 04 met for the first ever time at the Turk Telekom Arena this evening for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
The hosts started brightly and went ahead through Burak Yilmaz, but Jens Keller's men responded well and Jermaine Jones got them back on level terms on the stroke of half time.
Die Knappen were the better side in the second half, but could not find another goal. They still have the edge ahead of the second leg in Gelsenkirchen in two weeks.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look to see if the result was fair.
Match statistics
Galatasaray
Shots: 12
On Target: 6
Possession: 43%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 14
Schalke
Shots: 15
On Target: 5
Possession: 57%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 19
Was the result fair?
Yes, although the visitors may feel that they should have won the game. They were the better side after coming under some pressure in the first 25 minutes.
Galatasaray's performance
6/10. The home side made a very strong start, with Welsey Sneijder and Hamit Altintop pulling the strings in midfield. Dider Drogba looked as strong as ever and was involved in much of the link-up play. Burak Yilmaz was the focal point of the attack and took his goal very well. However, they lost the initiative as the first half wore on and they never really recaptured it. They had chances of their own, but will be the happy with the draw.
Schalke's performance
7/10. Jens Keller's men did not look like a team that has won just once since November. Julian Draxler was a delight to watch in midfield, and showed great maturity in the middle of the park. Roman Neustadter and Michel Bastos also played well. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is out of nick at the moment, and it showed tonight. His touch was clumsy and he failed to make the most of a decent chance in the second half. But all in all Die Knappen put in a good performance and will be happy with the away goal. They will fancy themselves as favourites now.
Referee's performance
Scottish ref William Collum was perhaps too eager to reach for his pocket tonight, but was right to show Fernando Muslera and Jermaine Jones yellow cards for brandishing the imaginary card. The pitch could possibly be blamed for a few late challenges that had no real malice.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Julian Draxler: The 19-year-old has been earmarked for a bright future and it's easy to see why. He strode about the pitch with the confidence of a seasoned pro and his technique is superb.
Biggest gaffe
The biggest gaffe would probably have to go to Fatih Terim for some of his substitutions. Taking Wesley Sneijder off at half time meant that his side lacked creativity, while Hamit Altintop's withdrawal was another strange one. He also brought off captain Sabri Sarioglu in his final switch.
What's next?
Galatasaray: Cimbom host Orduspor at the Turk Telekom Arena in their next match in the Turkish Super Lig, before the return leg in Gelsenkirchen on March 12.
Schalke: Die Knappen entertain Fortuna Dusseldorf at the Veltins-Arena in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Michael Penkman
