Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has explained his reason for substituting Victor Osimhen in Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar.

The Yellow and Reds held their opponent to a 2-2 draw in the encounter played at the RAMS Park.

The Turkish Super Lig champions exited the competition 6-3 on aggregate.

Osimhen scored Galatasaray’s first goal of the game in the 56th minute.

It was his sixth goal in the competition this season.

The Nigeria international was replaced by Berat Lus 10 minutes from time.

“Since our other forward Morata was injured, we took Osimhen off in the last 10 minutes. It wasn’t the night we wanted. We were more hopeful,” he told the club’s official website.

“If we had scored the first goal, we could have gotten into the game even more. We can name a few names in good form in terms of performance, but we were below average in terms of team performance.

“When I look back at the bench, 5-6 players who are very important to us were waiting. Having them with us, our squad size, and the player structure that can play such matches will be an advantage for us.

“It will be at our home ground. There are four days in between. Our rest period is also sufficient. We are not traveling. We will rest the players and prepare them for the next match.”


https://www.completesports.com/europa-league-galatasaray-boss-explains-reason-for-substituting-osimhen-vs-az-alkmaar/