Galatasaray claimed their first points of the UEFA Champions League campaign on Wednesday by beating Lille 4-2 in France. The Turkish champions improved their record after earlier losses to Sporting CP and Barcelona, according to Punch. The result ended a difficult start for the visitors, who had not yet secured a win in the league phase.
The match saw frequent changes in the lead. Punch reported that Yunus Akgun opened the scoring in the second minute, but Lille’s Soriba Diaoune scored twice in the first half to give the hosts the advantage. Aleksey Batrakov equalized for the visitors just before halftime. In the second half, an own goal restored Galatasaray’s lead before Victor Osimhen finished a counter-attack to make it 4-2 in the 61st minute.
Osimhen’s strike was particularly significant as it came against the club where he previously played. Punch noted that the Nigerian forward had scored 18 goals in 38 appearances for Lille during the 2019/20 season before moving to Napoli. This goal was his first in the competition since February, breaking a personal scoring drought. It also marked his seventh goal for Galatasaray in all competitions this season.
Lille head coach Davide Ancelotti had cautioned his defense about the threat posed by the Nigerian striker, yet they struggled to contain him. Punch highlighted that despite the defeat, Lille’s 19-year-old Diaoune performed well with his two goals. The French side now remains without a point in the tournament after dropping both of their home matches from winning positions.
Both teams will resume their European journey on Tuesday, November 3. Punch indicated that Galatasaray will host Stuttgart, while Lille travel to Norway to face Bodo/Glimt. These upcoming fixtures will determine if either side can maintain momentum and improve their standing in the league phase.