Atletico Madrid opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win away to Galatasaray in Istanbul tonight.
A first-half double from Antoine Griezmann was enough as Diego Simeone's side silenced the partisan fans inside the Turk Telekom Arena and kicked off Group C with a win.
Here, Sports Mole looks at how the game was won in Turkey.
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Match statistics
GALATASARAY
Shots: 22
On target: 3
Possession: 52%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 16
ATLETICO MADRID
Shots: 14
On target: 8
Possession: 48%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 17
Was the result fair?
Undoubtedly. It was much easier than it should have been for Atletico Madrid on a night where Galatasaray were their own worst enemy. The Turkish champions only started playing when the game was more or less beyond them, and even then they spurned too many gilt-edged chances to merit anything other than a defeat. Three attempts on target from 22 efforts tells its own story, and shooting practice will likely be on the agenda in the coming days because, on another night, they might have pushed Atletico much harder.
Galatasaray's performance
With five points from their first four games, the return of the Champions League offered a welcome escape for a Galatasaray team yet to hit their stride domestically. Within half an hour of kickoff, though, the hosts would have been pining for a return to domestic duties by virtue of their woeful start. For both goals, Griezmann was allowed far too much space in which to hurt Hamza Hamzaoglu's men - and he did.
The second looked particularly soft from a defensive point of view as the France international volleyed into an empty net from a corner. To his credit, Hamzaoglu wasted no time in waiting for Atletico to extend the deficit and sent on striker Umut Bulut in place of defender Emre Colak in a tactical tweak that looked like yielding rewards.
Bulut by name, the Turkish hitman was the penetrative force up front that the hosts had lacked in the ineffective Burak Yilmaz. Before the break, Bulut glanced an excellent header just wide with a miss that would have renewed their confidence somewhat heading into half time. They retained that momentum throughout the 15-minute interval and a couple of golden opportunities for Lukas Podolski - both on his favoured left foot - went begging as Galatasaray ran out of steam.
Under Cesare Prandelli, they finished bottom of their group last season en route to heading out of Europe completely and, on this evidence, a big improvement at both ends of the field is needed in order to avoid the same downfall under Hamzaoglu.
Atletico Madrid's performance
Much was made over whether or not Atletico would cope with the hostile reception directed at them by the football-mad Turkish fans in Istanbul. Hell? It was more like heaven throughout the first 45 minutes. Simeone's troops dominated the opening half, silencing the partisan fans with two goals through the excellent Griezmann.
Two new faces spearheaded an old-fashioned 4-4-2, with Luciano Vietto and Jackson Martinez partnering each other in attack, but the star was Griezmann once again. His first was a superb finish on 17 minutes as he side-footed home a Juanfran cut-back from the edge of the box, before volleying into an empty net six minutes later.
They were seldom tested at the other end, with a glancing header from Bulut about as close as Atleti came to conceding. It was a different story after the break, however, as Galatasaray began to exert much more pressure and, if not for a couple of glaring Podolski misses, the scoreline could have been markedly different.
At the other end, Martinez - who was subbed a minute after - incurred the wrath of Simeone as he selfishly went for goal instead of playing in the unmarked Griezmann in the Rojiblancos' last real chance on a night where the only hell-like element was the red-hot Griezmann.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Antoine Griezmann: Described as a "star" by Neymar in recent days, the Frenchman certainly shone brightest tonight. Although he faded somewhat after the break, Griezmann was the difference between both sides.
Biggest gaffe
It can only be Podolski, who looked certain to reduce the arrears when running on to a cut back in the second half, but the ex-Arsenal man, under pressure from nobody, fell to the ground just as he went to pull the trigger. With a left foot as sweet as his, a clean strike would have likely found the net and thrown the hosts a major lifeline.
Referee performance
Szymon Marciniak only booked three players - Yilmaz, Gabi and Yasin Oztekin - in what was a quiet first European adventure of the season for the veteran Polish official.
What next?
Galatasaray: Gala resume domestic duties on Saturday as they bid to kick-start their season with a trip to Trabzonspor.
Atletico Madrid: Also returning on Saturday, Simeone's side look to get that defeat to Barcelona out of their system as they travel to Eibar.
Shane Callaghan
