Okan Buruk: It was a beautiful night
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk, speaking after the match against Manchester City where they qualified for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 play-offs despite a 2-0 defeat, said, "Overall, it was a beautiful match. It was a beautiful night where both teams thought of nothing other than the football on the pitch."
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In the 8th and final week of the UEFA Champions League, Galatasaray was defeated 2-0 by English side Manchester City in an away match. The yellow-reds finished the league phase of the tournament in 20th place, qualifying for the round of 16 play-offs.
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk made evaluations at the press conference held after the match. Buruk said, "First of all, I will start by congratulating our opponent. They finished in the top 8. They were the side that won the match today.
When we look at the match, there is a difference between our play in the first half and the second half. In the first half, we both left the ball to the opponent and conceded chances. We conceded 2 goals. We played further forward in the second half. We pressed our opponent and had possession of the ball. A possession rate approaching 58-60 percent in the second half in this away game is the part we are happy about, but we could have produced more chances.
There were also chances our opponent had after it was 2-0, and risks we took. Overall, it was a beautiful match. It was a beautiful night where both teams thought of nothing other than the football on the pitch. I would like to congratulate the players of both teams in this regard."
"Galatasaray has always been a brave team"
When asked about their potential opponents in the round of 16 play-offs being Juventus and Atletico Madrid, he stated, "Before going into this match, we didn't know where we would finish depending on the matches our rivals would play. At one point we were 18th, but we finished 20th. You don't know exactly which opponent will come here.
This new format is also a bit of a matter of luck for the teams. Both Juventus and Atletico Madrid are very good teams. We played against Atletico Madrid recently, so of course, we know them a little better.
The Galatasaray team has always been a brave team. If we display the performance we showed in the second half today in the first match we play at our own home ground, we will try to do our best regardless of who we play. Of course, we will have reinforcements during this transfer period. Having them on the new list will be a great opportunity for us," he concluded.