Galatasaray Stuns Tottenham, Manchester United Earns First Europa League Win
Galatasaray’s impressive performance in the Europa League continued on Thursday as they handed Tottenham their first defeat of the season with a 3-2 victory in Istanbul. The Turkish champions now sit atop the Group D standings with 10 points from four games, while Spurs find themselves in seventh place after losing their 100% record.
Galatasaray took an early lead through Yunus Akgun’s stunning long-range volley, but Tottenham responded quickly with a goal from teenage striker Will Lankshear. However, the home side regained control before halftime as Victor Osimhen scored twice in quick succession.
Osimhen’s first goal came just after the half-hour mark, and he doubled his tally with a clever volley from Dries Mertens’ cross. The Nigerian star has now scored six goals in eight appearances for Galatasaray since joining on loan from Napoli.
Galatasaray had several chances to extend their lead, but Spurs’ hopes of a comeback were boosted when Lankshear was sent off for two yellow-card offenses in the second half. Dominic Solanke pulled one back for Tottenham in the 69th minute, but Galatasaray held on for a comfortable victory.
In other Europa League action, Manchester United finally secured their first win in the competition with a 2-0 victory over PAOK Thessaloniki at Old Trafford. Amad Diallo scored both goals for the Red Devils, who had previously drawn their first three matches.
Lazio remain the only team with a perfect record in Group F after Pedro scored an injury-time winner in a 2-1 success against Porto. Ajax sit in second place, two points behind Lazio, after thrashing Maccabi Tel Aviv 5-0.
Eintracht Frankfurt clinched a 1-0 win against Slavia Prague thanks to Omar Marmoush’s superb free-kick, while Athletic Bilbao came from behind to grab a 2-1 victory at Ludogorets. Roma’s disappointing form continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.