October 23, (THEWILL) – Galatasaray emerged victorious with a 4-3 win against Swedish side Elfsborg, maintaining their impressive 10-match undefeated streak. The Turkish champions dominated the first half, with Mauro Icardi opening the scoring near the 30-minute mark following earlier attempts that tested Elfsborg goalkeeper Isak Pettersson.
The home team extended their lead through a fortunate deflection off Pettersson following Abdülkerim Bardakcı’s strike against the woodwork. Barış Yılmaz added a third with a powerful left-footed strike before the interval, establishing what appeared to be an insurmountable advantage for the hosts.
However, the second half witnessed an extraordinary transformation from Elfsborg, who mounted a determined comeback. Niklas Hult initiated the response by converting Simon Hedlund’s pass, followed by Michael Baidoo successfully converting a penalty awarded after VAR review for handball against Yılmaz.
Yunus Akgün scored what proved to be the decisive goal for Galatasaray, finding the top corner with precision. Despite Johan Larsson reducing the deficit shortly after entering the match, and a late Michy Batshuayi goal being disallowed for offside, the Turkish side maintained their advantage until the final whistle.
The result positions Galatasaray strongly in the competition with seven points, while Elfsborg remain challenged with three points from three matches. The Swedish team faces an uphill task with upcoming fixtures against formidable opponents including Athletic Club, OGC Nice, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
