Key Takeaways
Galatasaray beat Tottenham 3-2 in their Europa League match in Istanbul.
Victor Osimhen scored two goals after Spurs made costly errors playing out from the back.
Will Lankshear, having scored for Spurs, was then sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card.
Tottenham Hotspur were dealt a 3-2 defeat by Galatasaray in their Europa League clash in front of a raucous atmosphere in Istanbul, after two goals from Victor Osimhen in eight minutes punished the north London side who were architects of their own downfall.
Both teams entered the contest undefeated so far through the European campaign, though Spurs had won all three of their last outings, whilst Galatasaray had won two and drawn one.
Spurs were without teenager Mikey Moore due to illness, while Timo Werner was also another absentee for Ange Postecoglou, with the German dealing with a groin issue, joining a whole host of names on the treatment table, including Richarlison, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Light in attack, Tottenham academy graduate Will Lankshear was handed just his second start of the 2024/25 season.
For the home side, there were some familiar friends and foes, with former Spurs defender Davinson Sanchez in the centre of the back three, while former Arsenal player Lucas Torreira was deployed in central midfield. Ex-Chelsea players Hakim Ziyech and Michy Batshuayi were on the bench.
Despite having the attacking trio of Dries Mertens, Victor Osimhen and Mauro Icardi, it was Yunus Akgun who opened the scoring in just the sixth minute, with a thunderous half-volley from distance that blazed into the top corner after Galatasaray's free kick was headed out by Archie Gray. The thunderbolt came so quickly that Fraser Forster simply couldn't adjust his feet quickly enough.
Spurs struggled to play under the threatening atmosphere imposed on them by the Galatasaray ultras in attendance, but insisted on playing out from the back, though it would cause them quite a few issues, with them giving away the ball in some dangerous areas.
But in one of their rare early attacks, Gray found the space to put in a delicious ball over the top, finding Brennan Johnson, who was able to breeze past his defender, and opted to square it across for Lankshear to tap in home, giving the 19-year-old his first senior goal, and bringing his team back level inside 20 minutes.
Galatasaray thought they had retaken the lead when a masked Osimhen squeezed the ball past Forster after Spurs were once again caught out attempting to play from the back, but he was swiftly ruled offside. Though, just two minutes later the Nigerian striker would punish Spurs after Radu Dragusin was caught in possession and gave the Turkish juggernauts a 2-1 lead after just 30 minutes.
The errors would continue to pile up for Tottenham, though, and Osimhen capitalised once again with a cushioned finish past Forster after a beautifully flighted ball into the box from Mertens was floated in with pinpoint precision to give Galatasaray a commanding 3-1 lead going into half-time.
The second-half brought much of the same, with Spurs continuing to struggle on the ball, and could have easily conceded two or three more inside the first five minutes, with Galatasaray's biggest chance after Forster came to claim the ball from a free-kick, taking his eyes off of it and losing it entirely.
On a night that looked to be memorable regardless of the result for Lankshear, it was abruptly ended after he picked up a second yellow for a reckless challenge, which gave the referee no other choice, and leaving Spurs to play the remaining half-an-hour with 10 men.
Just mere minutes after entering the fold, Dominic Solanke cut the deficit with a neat little back flick to take the ball past Muslera, giving them a small glimmer of hope that they could get something from this very tough outing.
Icardi thought he had restored his side's two-goal cushion, but the offside flag was once again raised, with the Argentine quite a distance offside upon replay. The one dampener on Galatasaray's night was the striker being stretchered off the field after appearing to suffer a knee injury off the ball.
But Spurs looked the stronger side after going down to 10, and were handed a late chance in stoppage time when the keeper was caught way outside his box with his clearance finding its way to the man hot in form, Dejan Kulusevski, but his long-range effort was far wide and his miss all but sealed the Lilywhites' first defeat of the European campaign.
Match Highlights
Galatasaray Player Ratings
GK - Fernando Muslera - 6.5/10
Apart from leaving his goal wide open for Lankshear to tap in, he faced little other threat in the game from the Spurs forwards. Not much he could do about Solanke's clever finish to cut the deficit to one.
RWB - Baris Yilmaz - 7/10
Looked to get forward at every opportunity and found relative success, creating a couple of big chances while his lone shot on goal also forced a save. Very stout in defence, winning the majority of his ground and aerial duels, though he did concede possession 20-plus times.
CB - Kaan Ayhan - 7/10
Defensively, he didn't really have much to do, with most of his involvement being when they were controlling possession. A solid performance nonetheless.
CB - Davinson Sanchez - 7/10
Looked very commanding at the back, especially in his ground duels. He also made some key tackles and an interception, but wasn't really troubled by the Spurs attack.
CB - Abdulkerim Bardakci - 6/10
Was arguably the weakest link of the defence, losing the ball double-digit times, but he made up for it with his four interceptions which ensured Spurs struggled to create shots.
LWB - Yunus Akgun - 8/10
He opened the scoring with a scorching long-range effort that came out of nowhere. The former Leicester City man's strike meant that he recorded four goals in four games in the Europa League this season. Had some other thunderous efforts which were on target in what was an impressive shooting display.
CM - Lucas Torreira - 7/10
The former Arsenal man had an impressive display of passing, making some key tackles and a key pass. Looked very comfortable in possession, and was never really troubled.
CM - Gabriel Sara - 7/10
Was the most productive of the central midfield pairing, playing in a plethora of crosses and long balls which found teammates, laying in a couple of key passes which created one big chance. He was heavily involved in winning the ball back, though he lost the ball as many times as he won it.
CAM - Dries Mertens - 8.5/10
Orchestrated the attacks from midfield to perfection, helping lead the press and forcing Spurs to make a calamity of errors at the back. His balls forward into the two strikers was the difference maker, with his link-up play with Osimhen particularly impressive.
ST - Victor Osimhen - 9/10
It is somewhat unbelievable that Osimhen didn't have a full handful of goals considering the amount of efforts that presented themselves to him. By far the standout player of the team, and caused so many problems with his willingness to pressure whoever was in proximity of him.
ST - Mauro Icardi - 7/10
Made some dangerous runs forward, and was accurate with his passing, but played second-fiddle to his strike partner and no. 10 tonight.
Sub - Hakim Ziyech - 6/10
Completed all of his passes in his 17-minute cameo, though he only made a handful of passes. Found success with both of his long balls, while he also had success with both of his dribble attempts.
Sub - Kerem Demirbay - N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Sub - Elias Jelet - N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Sub - Michy Batshuayi - N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Sub - Berkan Kutlu - N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Tottenham Player Ratings
GK - Fraser Forster - 3/10
A very poor outing by the veteran keeper, with his ball distribution more often than not finding an opposition player instead of a teammate. While he couldn't control the mistakes of those in front of him, he could control his own actions, and he just didn't look comfortable, nor commanding, in goal at any point in the contest. Had a huge error in the second-half where he took his eye off the ball, and was very fortunate not to concede again.
RB - Pedro Porro - 6/10
Was arguably the best of Spurs' back line, though that isn't saying much, with him being the defender who gave the ball away the least number of times. He also won most of his ground duels, and got the higher rating for his assist on Spurs' second goal.
CB - Radu Dragusin - 3/10
Caught in possession a plethora of times, which led to Galatasaray testing Forster's goal more than Postecoglou would have liked. Was at fault for Osimhen's goal in the first half and struggled to find a teammate every time he was in possession.
CB - Ben Davies - 5/10
Was the better of the two centre-halves, but really, it was slim pickings. Didn't really look commanding at any point.
LB - Archie Gray - 5/10
Played a lovely ball forward in the build-up to Spurs' goal, but offered little else on both sides of the ball.
CM - Lucas Bergvall - 4/10
Was never really involved in the game at any point and was substituted, arguably too late.
CM - Yves Bissouma - 5/10
Was one of the many Spurs players dispossessed over a dozen times by the opposition, and was suffocated by the midfield of Galatasaray. He did find some success in his ground duels, but that is a stretch on what was a largely disappointing outing.
CM - James Maddison - 5/10
Had a very quiet outing, especially in the first half. His set-piece deliveries were poor by his standards. Moved over to the left-hand side in the second-half with Kulusevski being deployed in the No. 10 role, but didn't have much impact there either.
RW - Brennan Johnson - 6/10
Ever the willing runner, he was keen to make the runs in behind, which paid dividends when he got in front of his defender, and instead of taking the shot on himself, provided the ball on a plate for his teenage teammate, Lankshear. Unfortunately, that would be his only contribution as he was subbed off at half-time for defensive reinforcements.
ST - Will Lankshear - 5/10
Despite the loss, this night was one to remember for the 19-year-old who scored his first senior goal, and it won't be easier than that. His finish also silenced the Galatasaray fans for a brief moment. Continued to make some good runs forward into the box, though service was limited, but he has shown tremendous potential as a number nine. His night was dampened when he received a second yellow.
LW - Son Heung-min - 6/10
His first real impact on the game was when he nutmegged Dries Mertens in the build up to the Lankshear equaliser. His first touch let him down quite a few times, and it was clear he was not at the races. Was one of the two Spurs players to make way at half-time.
Sub - Dejan Kulusevski - 7.5/10
Came on at the half to try and spark something into Spurs, but picked up a yellow card within two minutes of coming on after he gave the ball away and tried to get it back. Nonetheless, the slight tweak in the formation saw Kulusevski begin to orchestrate the team, especially after they went down to 10, and he was involved in virtually all of their late chances.
Sub - Rodrigo Bentancur - 6/10
Seemed to balance the midfield a bit more when he came on, always looking to drive his team forward, and showed once again that he is showing a resurgence in form under Postecoglou.
Sub - Dominic Solanke - 6.5/10
Took just a couple of minutes to get on the scoresheet with a clever back-heel flick to take the goalkeeper out of the game and half the deficit. Service came few and far between after that, but he gave Spurs hope of rescuing a point until the final whistle sounded.
Sub - Pape Matar Sarr - 6/10
Played well when he came on, and was present often when Spurs went on the front-foot, albeit it came a little too late. He is another player that is showing a good stroke of form, and had he started the contest, the scoreline may have been different.
Man of the Match
Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray)
The Black Eagles striker ran the Spurs defenders riot all game long, and really should have finished with more goals than just the two he scored. Despite being tightly marked, he shrugged off any challenges that came his way as if the defender wasn't even there. Even when on a hat-trick, he looked to play his teammates in.
With him putting on a display of true centre-forward play and intuition, where he was always exactly in the right place at exactly the right time - by hs own design - it is still bewildering why no top European club was willing to trigger his high release clause at Napoli, though that may change soon.
