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Okan Buruk comments on Kerem and Icardi's unusual penalty

Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk evaluated the penalty kick taken by Icardi and Kerem Aktürkoğlu during the Istanbulspor match.

Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk commented on the unusual penalty taken by Icardi and Kerem in his post-match statement following their 1-0 victory against Istanbulspor.

In the 35th minute of the match, Icardi was brought down by Okan's challenge, and referee Abdulkadir Bitigen pointed to the penalty spot. Icardi left the ball for Kerem Aktürkoğlu for the penalty. Kerem took the penalty with a pass. Icardi sent the ball wide.

 

Evaluating this much-discussed penalty kick, Buruk said, "Icardi had done this before and wanted to repeat it. I respect my players' decision."

Here are the highlights from Okan Buruk's statements:

'IT WAS NOT DISRESPECTFUL TO OUR OPPONENT'

“The penalty incident was actually something my players had been discussing among themselves for a long time. They had talked about it in a few matches last season. They tried it today. Of course, a penalty can be missed. This is a responsibility my players took on. It could have been missed even if they had shot directly. We were hearing about this last season as well. They have self-confidence. Icardi had done this before and wanted to repeat it. I respect my players' decision. A penalty is taken, it is missed. I stand by my players. It is not important at all. Let there be no misunderstanding; this was not disrespectful to our opponent. They wanted to try this in tougher matches last year. These were their thoughts. They actually did it correctly, but the final shot went wide. You feel sad even if a penalty is missed on a direct shot. It is the same sadness. What matters is their self-confidence. Mauro Icardi later won the match for his team with the goal he scored.”

'WE WERE IN CONTROL OF THE MATCH'

“We started very quickly, in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th minutes… We reached the opponent's goal very easily. We had a big problem with finishing. If we could have made the final passes, shots, and crosses well when we reached the opponent's goal area, we would have found many goals. At the end of the day, it is a 1-0 victory, but it could have ended differently. We want this on one hand. Anything can happen at the end of the match. The opponent comes, it becomes a goal. We gave the opponent dangerous opportunities at the beginning of the second half, but other than that, we were in control of the match. If we had finished the match earlier, if we had found the 2nd or 3rd goal, it would have been different for us.”

'I WISH WE HAD RESTED BOEY'

“We were just talking about it in the dressing room; I wish we had rested Sacha Boey. If we could have found the 2nd or 3rd goal, we would have rested Sacha Boey. Sacha loves to play and train. He gives tremendous energy to the team. The duels he wins increase the team's resilience during the match. He is a good professional, a good person. He is always working, keeping himself ready. Sacha is someone very important. Of course, a defender is different, but beyond his defensive play, the goal Sacha scored in the last match was important. He could have scored a goal today, he could have made assists. He plays both sides of the game very well. We are lucky to have someone like Sacha with us.”