Galatasaray secured their first win of the Turkish league season with a resounding 4–0 victory over newly promoted Erzurumspor FK in the opening match of the second round of the Süper Lig, played on Friday afternoon at the Kazım Karabekir Stadium. The side managed by Okan Buruk took control of the match in the first half and went on to win convincingly.
The Lions took the lead in the 12th minute. Following a corner taken by Gabriel Sara and a save by Erzurumspor’s goalkeeper, Matija Orbanić, Galatasaray’s Hungarian midfielder Roland Sallai pounced on the loose ball inside the box to open the scoring.
Barely eight minutes later came the second goal for the Istanbul side. A mistake by the home defence allowed Yunus Akgün to win the ball back and play it to Victor Osimhen, who drove forward down the left and crossed the ball into the box, playing it back to Akgün to finish off the move and make it 0–2.
Two goals from Osimhen sealed the match
The star of the evening emerged once more just before half-time. In the 45th minute, yet another error by the home side’s players led to a goal when a back-pass from Erzurumspor defender Yakup Kırtay to the goalkeeper went awry as Orbanić failed to reach the ball and clear it properly; Osimhen, who had anticipated the opportunity, seized the ball and, from the edge of the box with virtually no opposition, simply had to tap it in to score the third goal for the Istanbul side.
With the score at 0–3, the match was all but decided within the first 45 minutes. Erzurumspor barely managed to trouble Uğurcan Çakır, whilst the away side maintained control for much of the second half. The Nigerian striker found the net again in the 80th minute to complete his brace for the night; Barış Alper Yılmaz played a pass into the box to Sara, who crossed the ball in from the left to Osimhen, who popped up to finish almost on the goal line and seal the final score at 0–4.
Victor Osimhen, with his two goals and his key role in Yunus Akgün’s goal, was undoubtedly the standout player in a match that Galatasaray dominated with ease from the outset. The result marks Galatasaray’s first league win of the season, after the reigning champions of the Super League kicked off the Turkish league last week with a 2–2 home draw against Arca Çorum FK. For their part, Erzurumspor remain without any points having now played their first two matches following their return to the top flight of Turkish football.
Match stats
| ERZURUMSPOR FK | GALATASARAY | |
|---|---|---|
| Total shots | 9 | 10 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 4 |
| Possession | 49% | 51% |
| Fouls | 11 | 11 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 0 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 2 | 3 |
| Corners | 2 | 2 |
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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