Okan Buruk praises Barcelona’s cohesion after Galatasaray’s defeat

Galatasaray’s coach praised Barcelona’s players, likening them to a well-oiled machine, after his team’s 4-1 defeat. The match had begun in Galatasaray’s favour: Aleksey Batrakov put the side ahead in the 28th minute, before João Cancelo equalised for Barcelona in the 43rd, leaving the score at 1-1 at the break.

The game turned after half-time. Fermín López and Anthony Gordon scored in the 50th and 53rd minutes, then Karim Adeyemi made it 4-1 in the 65th. Barcelona extended its advantage in the second half.

The coach said his team had rushed its decisions against the opposition’s press and relied too heavily on long balls instead of keeping possession and reading the game more effectively. “We played against players who know each other by heart; they look like a perfectly integrated machine. We are sad to have lost,” he said.

Despite the result, Buruk said he was proud of his players, believing they had represented Turkish football positively and shown at times that they could compete with the top teams. He also regretted his side retreating towards its penalty area late in the first half. “We proved that we are a team that deserves to play in the Champions League, both on the pitch and through the atmosphere created by our supporters.”