Galatasaray Istanbul: There could have been no worse mood dampers

The escape movement in the guest block of the Frankfurt Arena had already started well before the final whistle. And the Appendix of Galatasaray Istanbul did without support after just an hour. As a result, captain Yunus Akgün could almost have saved the heavy walk before faithful of the yellow-red: the fairly cautious applause of the protagonists of the lawn in the ranks hardly anymore. Before kick-off, a banner had hung in English in front of the gala curve: “Fight for your dreams!” After the Champions League start at Eintracht Frankfurt (1: 5), coach Okan Buruk had to present Kleinlaut in the press conference that he had received a lesson that night. “We are ahead in all statistics, so the result hurts. Eintracht had a lot of passion – we could not provide an answer.”

There could have been no worse mood dampers for Galatasaray who had started with so much euphoria in the heart of Europe. In addition, the guests may have suffered the most important defeat in the preliminary: In the Frankfurt Waldstadion, the 25-time Turkish champion might have a similar home game as in autumn 2023 the Turkish national team in their prestige success against Germany in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium (3-2). Sure, the German-Turkish community organized an atmospheric fan march in the lead and also went with a strong roar from the stadium stop towards the opposite line, but the “gala invasion” proclaimed turned out to be a brain.

Only around 4,000 Turkish fans were among the 58,700 spectators. Officially 3000 tickets had gone to the guest from the Bosphorus. Already with confetti choreography under the motto “Black and white with all men”, it was found that the yellow-red had little to report. The fact that “a maximum of 1000 gala fans” had stocked up with cards from the black market is the evidence of how “mindful and vigilant” the appendix of the eagle carrier, said Eintracht board member Philipp Reschke. “We had a home game in every respect. A compliment to all spectators that the atmosphere was somewhat spectacular, but it was a peaceful day,” said Reschke responsible for legal issues, fan affairs, security and organization shortly after midnight in the press room.

The lawyer had expressly warned that the person must expect consequences such as the loss of the season ticket or withdrawal of membership, who sells his ticket on the black market at excessive prices. Reschke also called well-being of the SGE community: “It can already be our expectations that our season ticket holders and members generally do not give their cards to guest fans.”

Trainer Dino Toppmöller therefore raved about a “perfect evening”. The coach had given his troop, which was completely inexperienced on this stage-only Ansgar Knauff, Champions League experience-on the way to absorb the “special energy”. The son of the former Frankfurt coach Klaus Toppmöller also felt to be elementary in the stands: “With the stadium in the back, we know that we are there for special moments. We live, suffer, sweat exactly for these moments.”

The gloomy forecasts of a felt away game hadn’t come true. Even when I arrive, visitors such as Deniz Yilmaz from Frankfurt, who strolled to the entrance gates early with his buddy Timur Kaya from Ulm, swallowed “20,000 to 25,000 Galatasaray fans”. The two proudly showed their tickets acquired over the official channels. In the Viagogo portal, tickets had cost 3500 euros and more. But apparently such offers had remained manageable.

This duel had aroused bad memories from the past of the main metropolis: in 1992 the teams met in the second round of the UEFA Cup. At that time, 25,000 Turkish fans flocked to the old Waldstadion, which had legally covered tickets in advance. After two burning flags in the Turkish block, violent riots followed in the stands. The security concept did not work in the back and front. Football showed its ugly face.

But this time there was no such hostility. On the video board, a trilingual greeting demonstratively illuminated: “Gude. HoS Money Iniz. Welcome” stood in Versalien. With the hospitality, both teams took a little too precisely. A slight loss of ball from Eintracht-Freimmer Hugo Larsson enabled gala captain Yunus Akgün the early tour (8th) after presentation of Leroy Sané. The own goal of the defense lawyer Davinson Sanchez (37.), which was initiated by a blatant defensive error, should already mean the beginning of the end: The German-Turk Can Uzun hit the course of the course (45. +2), then Jonathan Burkardt was headed for victory.

Due to the 5: 1 final score, Eintracht is even the first league leader in the league phase. Of course, goosebumps prevailed. “Europe’s best team – SGE” sounded through the city forest the next magical night. Sports director Markus Krösche could feel confirmed what exciting squad left an initial footprint on the stage of the best after Frankfurt had previously bought the tools via the Conference League and Europa League. Perhaps despite the challenging program with the next games at Atletico Madrid, FC Liverpool and SSC Naples will go even more.

“At the beginning we were nervous, but the boys stayed calm and in the system despite the deficit,” said Krösche in a calm voice. “Beautifier after the first match day, I don’t count that now. It was just a good performance, the team is stable and convinced of their own strength.” Incidentally, the Hesse also set a statement for the Bundesliga, which came up with two wins and two draws at the start of the premier class. The competition from England (defeats FC Chelsea and Newcastle United), Spain (Defeat Atletico Madrid) or Italy (defeat SSC Naples) did not make rounds. Maybe German virtues are not completely buried.

“It felt very good. I am very grateful and happy,” said the match winner Burkardt. The FSV Mainz’s royal transfer had been recognizable with the new environment for the first few weeks, now the 25-year-old called the “resistance” as the key to the sense of achievement, while Galatasaray coach Buruk struggled with the lack of fortifice: “We abandoned too early.” As a UEFA Cup winner 2000 and World Cup Driller in 2002, the 42-year-old has experienced the best times of Turkish football himself, but in this constitution it will be difficult for the Bosphorus’ figurehead, despite the shopping tour under the Spendable President Dursun Özbek in the Champions League, even if the scorer Victor, which is obliged to take a record of 75 million, from Naples Osimhen was missing.

Burkardt (66.) and Knauff (75th) again punished the disassembly symptoms, when Ilkay Gündogan, who was committed as a hopeful, had long since been replaced, just like the increasingly immersion of Sané. “We made very simple mistakes. We were the clearly better team up to the 1-1, so the residue of the break felt undeserved. After that, the courage was missing,” said the former captain of the German national team afterwards. “We felt like we invited the Frankfurt gate. Then such a result comes about.” Incidentally, the 34-year-old first answered the reporters in German, then also the journalists waiting in the mixed zone in Turkish. Someone had to explain this nightmare somehow. And fleeing the truth rarely helps in football.