This was the kind of breathless, wild encounter in which both Galatasaray and Tottenham deal routinely and the only surprise was a goal tally that did no justice to a game whose openness beggared belief. In truth Spurs should have been blown to smithereens by hosts who had no idea how to apply the handbrake and had unloaded 28 shots by the end. A stunner from Yunus Akgun and two goals from Victor Osimhen, who had countless other chances, completed their tally by half-time but somehow Ange Postecoglou’s side remained in with a sniff until matters concluded.
That was partly due to a first senior goal for the 19-year-old Will Lankshear, who celebrated in front of a baying home support but was chastened on the hour by a second yellow card. Dominic Solanke offered an unlikely lifeline later on and, although no leveller was forthcoming, this defeat should have little impact on Tottenham’s chances of reaching the knockout stage.
The chances of a quiet affair had been minimal at the outset and that was before anyone considered an atmosphere that, as Postecoglou had acknowledged, was of the type you play football for. Galatasaray have scored almost three a game in streaking clear atop their domestic league and defeated Elfsborg 4-3 in their previous European game here. The who’s who of attacking talent on show was eye-catching and if Mauro Icardi and Dries Mertens carry whiffs of late-career payday, Osimhen’s summer arrival means they can field one of the best centre-forwards around.
All of them were temporarily put in the shade within five minutes by Akgun, who was loaned last season to Leicester. It was a sumptuous strike; a masterful exhibition of technique that was all the more impressive given Archie Gray seemed to have done enough in heading Gabriel Sara’s free-kick clear. Running around the ball as it bounced up beyond the D, Akgun connected perfectly and sent it roaring into Fraser Forster’s top left corner.
Then, in a moment the youngster will treasure, the hosts’ stars were eclipsed by Lankshear. They had looked likely to turn the screw, Forster clearing in front of Osimhen and Akgun shooting waywardly when attempting a repeat, but were clinically picked apart in two passes. One of them was clipped diagonally by Gray into the path of Brennan Johnson; the next was a volleyed cross that Lankshear, showing a scorer’s instinct, jabbed in from close range.
Spurs were coping without seven absentees and it had hurt Postecoglou’s rotation options that Mikey Moore, the young winger, missed out through illness. Lankshear justified the decision to rest Solanke but they had been swamped until then and Galatasaray soon resumed the onslaught.
Forster denied a clean-through Osimhen, watched as Mertens blasted the rebound wide, and was fortunate to see the Nigerian have a goal chalked off. But Spurs could hardly be accused of making their own luck and were undone again after the half-hour, Radu Dragusin getting his body shape wrong when receiving a routine pass from Ben Davies and allowing Icardi to nick the ball away. It rolled to Mertens, who slid Osimhen in for a toe-ended finish across Forster and unleashed pandemonium again.
Osimhen saw the whites of Forster’s eyes once more but drew another commendable stop. It was becoming a personal battle and almost immediately he struck another blow. Mertens’ right-sided cross was whipped perfectly and, at waist height, Osimhen cushioned a brilliant finish into the far corner to leave Tottenham praying for the break.
How to stem the tide while saving legs? Postecoglou’s answer was to introduce Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski for Johnson and a marginal Son Heung-min, but the pattern continued. Osimhen missed a free header that, in another dimension, might have brought his sixth goal of the game. A fumble by Forster caused a scramble near the line and then Akgun, taking aim again, saw a volley deflected just wide. In the 57th minute Osimhen looked certain to complete his hat-trick at last but Forster, diving the other way, repelled with a trailing foot.
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The barrage was constant; the appetite on Galarasaray’s part to sit back negligible. When Lankshear received another sniff, he could not connect sufficiently and the underemployed Fernando Muslera saved easily.
If that was evidence for Lankshear that not everything will come easily, it had nothing on what followed. He had already been booked and then, perhaps in frustration at being dispossessed near halfway, lunged in on Sara and gave the referee, Lawrence Visser, the simplest of calls to make.
Forster swiftly made flying saves from Baris Alper Yilmaz and Akgun. Tottenham had been peppered and it seemed almost farcical when the recently introduced Solanke, cutely backheeling a centre from Pedro Porro, provided hope. It came to nothing, Kulusevski failing to catch Muslera out in added time, but the evening’s entertainment had been bountiful.
