Galatasaray fend off Elfsborg fightback to win Europa League cracker
After conceding seven goals in their previous two matches, a shaky Elfsborg defence was put under pressure from the outset at Rams Park. Goalkeeper Isak Pettersson did his utmost to keep the home side at bay, making two impressive stops to deny Mauro Icardi in the opening ten minutes, before producing another strong save to keep out Victor Osimhen’s downward header.
Unfortunately for the spirited shot-stopper, there was nothing he could do to prevent Icardi from breaking the deadlock just before the half-hour mark. The Argentine pounced on a rebound to guide home his sixth goal of the season after Dries Mertens had rattled the frame of the goal.
Following Icardi’s strike, Pettersson was then left to rue his luck when Abdülkerim Bardakcı struck the post before it bounced off the goalkeeper and into the net.
Barış Yılmaz subsequently piled further misery on the struggling visitors, blasting home an unstoppable left-foot shot to send the Turkish champions into the break with a significant three-goal advantage.
Elfsborg appeared to have lost all hope at the break, but their fortunes drastically changed after the restart. First, the visitors put together an incisive move that allowed Niklas Hult to tap in from Simon Hedlund’s squared pass.
Elfsborg were then given the chance to strike from the penalty spot after a VAR review confirmed that Yılmaz had handled the ball in the box. Michael Baidoo stepped up to send Günay Güvenç the wrong way and roll home a penalty in back-to-back European matches.
The fans in attendance were treated to a stellar finish as Yunus Akgün fired into the top corner before substitute Johan Larsson pulled a goal back within two minutes of his introduction.
Michy Batshuayi thought he had then restored Galatasaray’s two-goal cushion, only to see his late effort chalked off for offside. That disallowed strike did not prove costly, though, as the hosts saw out the final seconds to move onto seven points, while the Swedish side are left with just three points from as many matches.
With some difficult fixtures to come - including clashes with Athletic Club, OGC Nice and Tottenham Hotspur - their chances of progression appear to be dwindling.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yunus Akgün (Galatasaray)