Victor Osimhen Scores but Galatasaray are Knocked Out of the Europa League
Victor Osimhen scored for Galatasaray, but it wasn’t enough to keep them in the Europa League. AZ Alkmaar secured a 6-3 aggregate win over the Turkish side, advancing to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League after a 2-2 draw in Istanbul.
AZ Alkmaar came into the match with a comfortable 4-1 advantage from the first leg. Despite this, they didn’t sit back and kept up the pressure. Galatasaray goalkeeper Günay Güvenç had to make an early save from Sven Mijnans, and Davinson Sánchez cleared a shot from Kristijan Belić off the line.
Galatasaray tried to find their scoring form, which had seen them net 19 goals in the group stage, but Roland Sallai’s shot was tipped away by AZ goalkeeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro. The Turkish side struggled to contain AZ’s attack, and Güvenç had to make another save to deny Belić’s volley and then David Møller Wolfe’s powerful shot.
AZ’s pressure paid off just before half-time. Ernest Poku dribbled into the box and set up Seiya Maikuma for a simple finish past Güvenç. The visitors’ dominance continued when Denso Kasius sealed the tie with a stunning 25-yard strike into the top corner.
Galatasaray made a late push, with Osimhen leading the way. He scored his sixth Europa League goal of the season, followed by a first-time finish from Roland Sallai after a clever cutback from Barış Alper Yılmaz. However, it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit.
Despite a valiant effort, Galatasaray were eliminated, failing to make it to the knockout stages of European football for the third time in five seasons. AZ Alkmaar, on the other hand, will face either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.
