“Galatasaray” won the match at home with the result 3:2 (3:1).
In the sixth minute of the match, Yunus Akgin sent the ball into the goal with a strong shot from the air and made it 1:0 for the Istanbul team. In the 18th minute, Will Lankshire made it 1:1 after Brennan Johnson’s pass in front of the goal.
In the continuation of the half, in the 31st and 39th minutes, Viktor Osimhens scored two goals for the home team after Dries Mertens’ passes. First, the opponents lost the ball in their own half of the field, which allowed the Nigerian to make it 1-1, but later he scored from Mertens’ cross.
In the second half, in the 60th minute, Lancashire received a second yellow card for rudeness and left the visitors in the minority. That did not prevent Dominik Solankas from getting one goal back nine minutes later.
After Thursday’s first games, Galatasaray are tied at the top of the table with Eintracht Frankfurt and Athletic Bilbao, with ten points each.
The 36 teams of the main tournament play matches against eight different opponents, meeting two teams from each of the four baskets.
The eight best teams of the main tournament secure places in the round of 16, the owners of the 9th-24th places will fight in the first round of the playoff tournament, while the European Cup season will be over for the other teams. This format is played for the first time in the UEFA Europa League, replacing the traditional group tournament.
The UEFA European League final will be held in the Spanish city of Bilbao on May 25.
