Created Date: January 25, 2026 08:54
Hürriyet’s expert writers evaluated Galatasaray, which left its away game against Fatih Karagümrük in the Super League with 3 points.
In the 19th week of the Super League, Galatasaray faced Fatih Karagümrük away. Galatasaray won the match played at Atatürk Olympic Stadium with a score of 3-1.
Galatasaray took the lead 1-0 with Gabriel Sara in the 31st second. The first half ended 1-1 with the goal scored by Barış Kalaycı in the 27th minute for Fatih Karagümrük.
The guest team Galatasaray won the match 3-1 with the goals scored by Gabriel Sara in the 51st minute and Victor Osimhen in the 55th minute.
Barış Alper Yılmaz, who is suspended from Galatasaray, will not be able to play in the Kayserispor match next week.
Following this result, Galatasaray won the league after a week break and reached 46 points. Fatih Karagümrük, which was in the last place in the league, remained with 9 points.
Galatasaray will face Manchester City away in the last week of the Champions League on Wednesday and will return to the league with a home match against Kayserispor. Fatih Karagümrük will go away to Göztepe next week in the league.
EVALUATED BY MASTER AUTHORS
Hürriyet Spor’s expert writers wrote about Galatasaray’s performance in the Fatih Karagümrük match.
UĞUR MELEKE: MARIO LEMINA PULLED THE PLUG
Galatasaray is in a period of 10 matches in 34 days between January 5 and February 8. Two of these 10 matches were against Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, and both were against Trabzonspor and Fenerbahçe. In this intense fixture, it is of course an advantage that they play the modest league’s last team in Istanbul between two Giants League matches.
Okan Buruk used Torreira and Lemina for 45 minutes each yesterday, probably considering the tough away game they will play on Wednesday night. He also sat Eren and Sane aside. However, the calculations at home did not suit the market in the first period. Galatasaray seemed to sleepwalk for 44 minutes after scoring in the 30th second. Karagümrük, the last in the league, made more shots than the leader in the first half (5-4). The opponent received more balls in the penalty area (9-7). He also took good advantage of the yellow-reds’ lack of concentration: He took two free kicks quickly and scored the goal in the 27th minute. In the 32nd minute, he again passed the ball dangerously with a quick free-kick into Galatasaray’s half.
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The next 10 minutes were enough for Galatasaray, who suffered for 45 minutes, to pull the plug on the match. Mario Lemina, who entered the match in the 46th minute, played a role in producing two goals with the raid he started in the 51st minute and with the ball he won in the 55th minute. Galatasaray pulled the plug on the match in the 55th minute, making the score 3-1.
Gabriel Sara was the best of the day in Galatasaray, where it seemed like almost no one had come to the Olympic Stadium for the first 45 minutes. He scored two goals, one as a result of pressing and one as a result of the second center forward’s run. He created clear opportunities for İlkay in the 33rd and Abdülkerim in the 37th. He shook up the midfield rotation of Galatasaray, which had lost its leading position in recent months, with his performance yesterday.
KARAGÜMRÜK IS IN A TRANSFORMATION
Competing in the Super League with very modest means, Karagümrük played well against Galatasaray after Alanya and Başakşehir under the management of Stanojevic. Their strategy of catching their opponents off guard, especially by using free kicks quickly, is admirable. If they can replace Fofana with a good center forward, it seems like they have no intention of saying goodbye to the league early with their improving games. The composure of 20-year-old young Barış Kalaycı in scoring a goal was also magnificent.
BANU YELKOVAN: THERE ARE MANY QUESTIONS AWAITING ANSWERS IN GALATASARAY
The yellow-reds managed to get 3 points away from Karagümrük, but…
Sandwiched between two Champions League matches, this match against the last one in the league was doomed before it even started. For some, three points were in the pocket, for others, that was exactly why it was dangerous. The 90 minutes played showed how both of these predictions could be true at the same time.
The goal scored by Sara in the 31st second of the match was a record. When Galatasaray got the score early, they thought they had won the game. It didn’t happen that way. Karagümrük, who had been winless for weeks – exactly since the Konyaspor match on November 9 – not only equalized the score with Barış Kalaycı’s goal in the 27th minute; He also restarted the match.
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HE WAS NOT IN THE PLAY WITHOUT THE BALL
Going into the halftime, the league leader could not keep any statistics other than the ball possession percentage; He was having difficulty creating goal positions and controlling the midfield. There was not much of the football in the Atletico Madrid match. Although it was possible to understand the lack of the same motivation level, there was not much explanation for the reluctance in running distances. The fact that Yunus, not a defensive name, prevented the danger posed by Karagümrük, who came quickly after a corner taken by Galatasaray in the last minutes of the first half, was an indication that the backward running reflex was also impaired. Galatasaray had the ball, but was not at home in the game without the ball.
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AND OSIMHEN RETURNED TO THE LEAGUE
“What will Galatasaray do?” This question did not remain unanswered for a long time in the second half, which started with a mood. Sara, who came back onto the stage, rose between two defenders and scored a header with individual timing and quality. Just a few minutes later, Osimhen, who received the ball with his chest at the back post after İlkay’s cross and sent it into the net with a hard volley, announced to friends and foes that he was returning to the league.
Galatasaray won the match, which would have been a big surprise not to win. However, this victory came at the end of 90 minutes, which made visible the questions still waiting for answers, rather than the critical three points obtained in a difficult away game. Before the Manchester City match, there is not much time to think about playing from the centre, continuity in off-the-ball play and fragility in the first halves.
