AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Galatasaray: Osimhen rescues point for high-flying visitors
Galatasaray secured a valuable point at the AFAS Stadion against AZ Alkmaar, extending their unbeaten streak to 15 matches with a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Europa League (UEL). This result marked the first draw of the season for De Kaasboeren.
AZ Alkmaar, coming off a 3-1 victory against Galatasaray's fierce rivals Fenerbahce in their previous Europa League encounter, took an early lead. A weak punch from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera fell to Sven Mijnans, who skillfully placed a low shot into the center of the net within the first two minutes.
The Lions faced the threat of falling further behind shortly thereafter, as they managed to fend off close attempts from Ruben van Bommel and Mayckel Lahdo. Van Bommel came agonizingly close again, sending a shot wide of the right post from within the penalty area.
Victor Osimhen then had a powerful header expertly saved on the line by Jeroen Zoet, as Okan Buruk’s side sought to maintain their unbeaten streak since a narrow defeat to Young Boys in a UEFA Champions League qualifier back in August.
The former Napoli striker eventually broke through, heading in a precise cross from Dries Mertens past Peer Koopmeiners, just managing to nudge it over the line, which set the stage for an exciting second half.
Maarten Martens made two substitutions at halftime to invigorate his team, but it was the visitors who took control, applying relentless pressure on the Cheese Farmers and disrupting their rhythm as the hour mark approached.
With Galatasaray having conceded only eight goals from 34 shots against them this season—the best conversion rate by opponents in the league—they proceeded with caution.
Confident in their offensive capabilities, having achieved a competition-high of 37 shots on target out of 92 attempts in the UEL, they remained ready to counterattack.
Currently, the Dutch team is in a favorable position to secure a play-off spot, as they are eager to advance to the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League for the first time since the 2019/20 season.
On the other hand, the draw concludes a seven-match winning streak for Galatasaray, who have not achieved a victory against Dutch teams in European competitions over their last five encounters.
SportsLigue