Galatasaray let a 1-0 lead slip and allowed Schalke to grab a vital away goal as the German side battled to a useful 1-1 draw in Turkey in the first leg of this last-16 Champions League tie.
Fatih Terim will be disappointed that his side couldn't turn home advantage into a victory, especially after starting the game brightly and dominating the opening exchanges thanks to some lively link-up play between frontmen Burak Yilmaz and Didier Drogba.
The Turkish side forced the first opening when Timo Hildebrand was forced into early action by Dany Nounkeu, but they went in front soon after following some good play from Drogba and Selcuk Inan. The latter teed up Yilmaz who bamboozled the Schalke defence with a flick over his head before finishing in emphatic fashion past Hildebrand. It was his 7th goal in this seasons Champions League, his team only have 8 in total.
Despite their dominance of Group B, which included an impressive 4 points gleaned from their matches with Arsenal, Schalke have struggled in the Bundesliga this term and their domestic form seemed to be affecting their start as Galatasaray pushed for a second.
Drogba was once more involved in the home side's best chance to double their lead as his shot cannoned off the post from a tight angle and fell into the path of Hamit Altintop who somehow hit the bar with the goal gaping.
The missed opportunity seemed to spark Jens Keller's side into life and they almost equalised when Semih Kaya nearly turned Jefferson Farfan's cross into his own net.
On the stroke of halftime Farfan was at it again, this time however he managed to find a teammate in Jermaine Jones who finished well for his second Champions League goal.
The second half was an even affair but Schalke had a fantastic chance to score a second away goal and take a lead back to Germany when Klaas Jan-Huntelaar latched on to a fine pass by Julian Draxler, but the normally clinical Dutchman but shot over. Draxler himself also had a decent effort hit the foot of the post soon after.
Galatasaray saw the game out without creating much in the way of a clear cut chance, but will be disappointed with the manner in which they allowed their opponents back into the game having missed the chance to go 2-0 up in the first half.
As it stands it's all to play for when the Turkish side travel to Germany for the second leg next month.
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