Galatasaray defeated Portuguese opponent Benfica 2-1 in its third UEFA Champions League group stage game at the Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul on Wednesday.
Nicolas Gaitan put Benfica ahead in just the second minute -- the quickest Champions League goal of the season, with Selcuk Inan equalizing for the host from the penalty spot 19 minutes in.
But by the end of the first half, the Turks were in front, German forward Lukas Podolski tapping home from a Aurelien Chedjou pass in the 33rd minute.
Wednesday's victory marked Galatasaray's first win in the Champions League since Dec. 2013.
After five losses and a draw in the 2014 tournament, the Istanbul club has lost to Spain's Atletico Madrid and drawn against Kazakhstan's Astana in its first two Group C 2015 matches.
In the other Group C game played Wednesday, Atletico Madrid beat Astana 4-0.
Galatasaray and Benfica will meet again Nov. 3 in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.
