A 2-3 defeat to host Galatasaray ended Tottenham’s three-match winning streak in the 2024-2025 Europa League.
Coach Ange Postecoglou used almost his strongest lineup, except for 18-year-old striker Will Lankshear, who started for the first time in place of Dominic Solanke. Lankshear immediately scored his first career goal with a tap-in into an empty net to tie the match 1-1.
The young striker had the nerve to celebrate his goal in front of a passionate Turkish crowd. But in the 60th minute, he received a second yellow card, which meant a red card and a dismissal, ending an emotional debut. The RAMS Park crowd cheered as Lankshear was sent off.
Galatasaray are currently ranked 49th in the world, but are still below 11 Premier League clubs, according to Opta’s power index. However, the Turkish league leaders have a number of established players, especially up front with Dries Mertens, Mauro Icardi and Victor Osimhen.
It was these three stars who combined to raise the score to 2-1 for Galatasaray. In the 32nd minute, Icardi stole the ball from centre-back Radu Dragusin, before Mertens passed the ball right to Osimhen, who ran down and sent the ball into the low far corner, giving goalkeeper Fraser Forster no chance to block it.
Osimhen is valued at 81 million USD by Transfermarkt, the most valuable player in this match. He showed the true qualities of the best striker in Serie A in the 2022-2023 season, with a double against Tottenham. In the 39th minute, Mertens still crossed the ball from the right as if setting up a table for the Nigerian striker to rush down and tap the ball with his left foot close to the goal to increase the score to 3-1.
Galatasaray’s opening goal was even more spectacular, with midfielder Yunus Akgun surprisingly volleying from 25 metres into the far corner. Tottenham pulled one back in the second half through Solanke, but playing with one less man meant they couldn’t take the points.
Despite the loss, Tottenham are still in the Top 8, a position that will go straight to the Europa League Round of 16. In the next match, Postecoglou’s team will return to London to host Ipswich Town in the 11th round of the Premier League on November 10.