Victor Osimhen scored a brace as Galatasaray handed Tottenham their first Europa League defeat of the season.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou made seven changes to his lineup, including three teenagers, as the team faced a hostile atmosphere in Istanbul.
The hosts took an early lead through Yunus Akgun’s stunning half-volley from outside the box, catching the Tottenham defense off guard.
Spurs quickly leveled the score with young talent Will Lankshear tapping in a chance created by Brennan Johnson.
However, Osimhen put the hosts back in control with two quick goals.
The first came after poor defending from Spurs allowed Dries Mertens to send Osimhen through to score, and the second followed a cross from Mertens, which Osimhen guided into the bottom corner.
Despite changes at halftime, including the introduction of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham struggled to contain Galatasaray.
Spurs goalkeeper Forster made a key save to deny Osimhen a hat-trick, but Spurs were still undone by poor defending.
Lankshear was sent off for a second yellow card after a reckless challenge, further dampening Spurs’ chances.
However, they did pull one back when Dominic Solanke flicked in a pass from Pedro Porro but it wasn’t enough as they just couldn’t find an equalizer.
They left Istanbul with a 3-2 defeat, suffering their first loss in European competition this season.
Article updated 8 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
