Galatasaray Coach Reacts as Victor Osimhen Scores in Win Over Istanbul Basaksehir
- Galatasaray assistant coach Irfan Saraloglu has shared his thoughts after his team defeated Istanbul Basaksehir
- The Turkish champions won 3-0, their second consecutive derby win after the win over Besiktas last week
- Galatasaray turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League where they will face Liverpool at Anfield
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Galatasaray assistant coach Irfan Saraloglu has shared his thoughts after his team defeated Istanbul Basaksehir 3-0 in the Istanbul derby on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
The two Istanbul clubs bottled through a cage first half which ended goalless at Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex, the home of Galatasaray.
Source: Getty Images
According to TRT Spor, the match opened up in the second half after Festy Ebosele was sent off for a second bookable offence and Galatasaray pounced immediately.
Wilfred Singo immediately after the red card, before Victor Osimhen doubled the lead nine minutes later and youngster Renato Nhaga sealed the win.
The champions opened a seven-point lead over rivals Fenerbahce, which lost 2-0 to Fatih Karagumruk earlier in the day.
Irfan Saraloglu reacts to Galatasaray's win
Assistant head coach Irfan Saraloglu, who was standing in for the suspended Okan Buruk, spoke to the media after leading the team to a win.
“We secured an important victory. Fenerbahçe's loss made the match even more crucial. We could have reached a 7-point lead by winning this game,” he told GS TV.
He added that the win was difficult because of the opponent they faced as Basaksehir had won nine of their past 12 games, but Galatasaray remained focused regardless.
“The increased importance of the match didn't affect our motivation. We go into every game aiming to win. We rested a few players in this match. We also rotated the squad by giving some players less playing time,” he added.
Saraloglu confirmed that attention has immediately turned to the crucial Champions League match against Liverpool as they prepare to travel to England.
“We will prepare for the Liverpool match. Repeating what we did in the first match will bring us the right approach. It's certain the opponent will take precautions. We will work on how to stop them or how to attack them,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
“We have very little time. It's an important match for us, and it's important for them too. We will try to maintain our advantage. I hope we can give our nation a holiday gift before the holiday.”
Galatasaray hold a slender one-goal advantage from the first leg, and would have to put up a fight to withstand the pressure from Liverpool in the second leg.
The Reds would want to avoid a third loss to Galatasaray this season, having also lost to the Turkish champions in the group stage.
Turkish pundit criticises Osimhen
Legit.ng previously reported that Turkish pundit Erman Toroglu criticised Victor Osimhen after the striker led Galatasaray to a win over Liverpool.
Toroglu claimed that the Super Eagles forward is declining and had to get out of Galatasaray in two years before he loses the ability that made him world class.
Source: Legit.ng
