Tottenham were hugely fortunate to fall to only a 3-2 defeat against Galatasaray with several stars failing to perform in the Europa League clash. The Turkish side could have scored at least two or three more goals as Victor Osimhen ran riot in Istanbul.
Osimhen, who has been linked with Arsenal in recent transfer windows, netted twice after Yunus Akgun’s stunning long-range volley opened the scoring. Galatasaray waded through Spurs’ side with ease at times and should have enjoyed a far more comfortable scoreline.
The night looked set to be a special occasion for academy forward Will Lankshear. He equalised after Akgun’s strike but his game unravelled and he was sent off in the 60th minute having collected two yellow cards.
Too many Spurs players were hugely below-par, with nine starters scoring below a 5/10 rating. Here is how Express Sport scored Ange Postecoglou’s team.
Fraser Forster – 3/10
Considering Forster could do little for any of the goals, this was still a poor display from the goalkeeper. Twice he was bailed out by his own defenders after flapping at crosses – although there was one strong save to deny Akgun. Galatasaray should have had five or six.
Pedro Porro – 4
Porro struggled to get forward and was positioned deeper than he might like – perhaps due to Postecoglou not quite trusting his two centre-backs. One of his only forays into Galatasaray territory saw him cross for Dominic Solanke’s consolatory goal.
Radu Dragusin – 3
Romanian defender Dragusin must just want this Europa League campaign to end. Sent off against Qarabag, the 22-year-old lost possession with a poor touch for Osimhen’s first goal and was then caught flat-footed for the striker’s second.
Ben Davies – 4
Osimhen had the better of both Spurs centre-backs all evening. Postecoglou will need to try something different for Premier League games against Ipswich and Manchester City if Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are to remain sidelined.
Archie Gray – 5
One of very few Spurs players to come out of this game with any credit. Gray dealt well with Galatasaray’s attacking threats in an unnatural left-back role.
Lucas Bergvall – 4
Bergvall started brightly but faded far too quickly. The highly-rated Swedish star needs a confidence boost.
Yves Bissouma – 4
Bissouma actually had a good first half but lost his composure in the second period. He was booked for protesting Lankshear’s red card and came very close to talking himself into a second yellow card.
James Maddison – 3
On a day when Maddison was once again snubbed for an England recall, he showed why several midfielders have gone ahead of him in the thinking for international recognition. He scored a wonderful free-kick against Aston Villa at the weekend but was wholly anonymous in Turkey. The playmaker must step up more often when Spurs’ backs are against the wall.
Brennan Johnson – 5
Johnson provided a threat in the first half and grabbed the assist for Lankshear’s goal. The Wales international was taken off at half-time.
Will Lankshear – 4
It started so positively for the 19-year-old. He tapped home his first senior goal despite touching the ball just twice in the first half. Frustration got the better of the academy graduate and he must have forgotten he was already on a yellow card when he lunged into a silly challenge on Gabriel Sara.
Son Heung-min – 4
Son is surely still playing with the injury which kept him out of three matches in September and the start of October. The club captain looked hindered in the first half and did not emerge for the second period.
Substitutes
Dejan Kulusevski (for Son, ‘46) – 5
Kulusevski tried and tried but could do little to turn around Spurs’ performance. A couple of driving runs threatened to bring his side back into the game.
Rodrigo Bentancur (for Johnson, ‘46) – 5
Bentancur performed well after being introduced at half-time.
Pape Sarr (for Maddison, ‘66) – 5
Spurs gained some control following Sarr’s introduction.
Dominic Solanke (for Bergvall, ‘69)
Solanke gave Spurs hope with a lovely flicked finish midway through the second half. It would have been remarkable if Spurs got anything from this game.
