Lille 2-4 Galatasaray: Visitors claim first UCL win this season

Galatasaray beat Lille 4-2 away from home to claim their first points in this season’s Champions League.

The Turkish side took the lead early on through Yunus Akgun but trailed shortly before half-time after conceding a brace to Lille’s Soriba Diaoune.

Headers either side of half-time from Aleksey Batrakov and Lucas Torreira helped the visitors come from behind, before Victor Osimhen’s goal sealed a much-needed victory.

Frantic First-Half Ends Level:

Galatasaray made a perfect start to the game when Akgun gave the Turkish side the

lead in the second minute.

Akgun latched onto a loose header from Lille centre-back Nathan Ngoy, after Galatasaray winger had Baris Alper Yilmaz had superbly turned 18-year-old Maxima Goffi and crossed into the Lille box.

The home side only needed six minutes to level the game, when 19-year-old winger Diaoune rounded Galatasaray goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, after connecting with a through ball from centre-back Alexsandro.

The game continued to be open at both ends, as Galatasaray had a penalty awarded by referee Rade Obrenovic, which was overturned by VAR, and Cakir saved headers from Diaoune and Alexsandro in quick succession.

It was Diaoune who gave the home side the lead in the 39 th minute after being played through by Hakon Arnar Haraldsson.

Haraldsson was playing as a false nine in the absence of strikers Hamza Igamane and Ayase Ueda.

Lille’s lead was short lived however as Galatasaray’s Aleksey Batrakov was left unmarked in the penalty area, and headed Roland Sallai’s cross past Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer, to level the match.

Galatasaray Take Control:

Galatasaray continued to attack down the left-hand side at the beginning of the second-half.

Alexsandro was forced to head Yilmaz’s cross from the left behind in the 52 nd minute.

The visitors retook the lead from the resulting corner as Torreira reacted fastest to Gabriel Sara’s delivery, which was swung in towards the near post.

Galatasaray continued to apply pressure to Lille’s right-hand side after the goal, with Goffi making a vital interception to prevent Yilmaz latching onto a through ball from deep.

The left-winger was involved again shortly afterwards as he played in Osimhen, who then found the top corner, shortly after the hour mark.

Lille had the majority of possession in the second-half but failed to create clear cut chances, despite bringing on veteran striker Olivier Giroud.

The result leaves the French side 35 th out of 36 teams in the Champions League’s League Phase, and three points adrift of qualification for the playoffs.

Player of the Match: Baris Alper Yilmaz

Yilmaz was Galatasaray’s most dangerous attacking outlet throughout the game and was heavily involved in the build-up to three of his team’s goals.

He exploited the potential weakness created by the injury to Lille’s first choice right- back Tiago Santos and stepped up his game in the abscence of first choice left- winger Rafael Leao.

Credit should also go to Soriba Diaoune who scored a brace for Lille on his first start in the Champions League.

What’s Next?

Lille travel to Monaco on Sunday, with both sides having the chance to go top of Ligue 1.

Their next home game will be on Friday October 30 th , against Lens. They’ll return to Champions League action away to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday November 3rd , before hosting Bayern Munich on November 25th.

Galatasaray host arch-rivals Fenerbahce on Monday evening before travelling to Konyaspor the following Friday.

Their next two Champions League games see the Turkish side host VfB Stuttgart and Aston Villa, before travelling to face AEK Athens on December 8th.