UEL: Osimhen Rescues Point for Galatasaray in 1-1 Draw with AZ Alkmaar

Victor Osimhen's Late Equalizer Earns Galatasaray a Point in Alkmaar

Galatasaray narrowly avoided falling further behind as AZ Alkmaar...

Victor Osimhen's second-half equalizer rescued a point for Galatasaray in their 1-1 draw with AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa League.

Galatasaray extended their unbeaten streak to 15 games with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadion in the UEFA Europa League. This result also marked AZ Alkmaar's first draw of the campaign.

AZ Alkmaar, coming off a impressive 3-1 victory over Galatasaray's arch-rivals Fenerbahce in their previous Europa League outing, made a blistering start. Inside two minutes, Sven Mijnans capitalized on Fernando Muslera's weak punch, calmly drilling a low shot into the middle of the net to give the hosts an early lead.

Galatasaray narrowly avoided falling further behind as AZ Alkmaar threatened to double their lead. The hosts came close to scoring again through Ruben van Bommel and Mayckel Lahdo, with Van Bommel firing wide of the right post from inside the box in a particularly agonizing miss.

As the first half progressed, Galatasaray began to push for an equalizer. Victor Osimhen's powerful header was spectacularly saved on the line by Jeroen Zoet, as Okan Buruk's side fought to preserve their unbeaten run. However, Osimhen's persistence eventually paid off when he expertly nodded in Dries Mertens' precise cross, beating Peer Koopmeiners and sending the ball narrowly over the line. This equalizer set the stage for a thrilling second half.

AZ Alkmaar manager Maarten Martens made two substitutions at halftime in an attempt to revitalize his team. However, it was Galatasaray who gained momentum, taking control of the game and relentlessly pressuring AZ Alkmaar. As the hour mark approached, the hosts struggled to find any rhythm.

Galatasaray was cautious, aware of AZ Alkmaar's vulnerability in defense, having conceded eight goals from just 34 shots this season. Despite this, the visitors were confident in their attacking abilities, having recorded a competition-high 37 shots on target from 92 attempts in the UEL. This attacking prowess left them well-positioned to capitalize on any scoring opportunities that arose.

In the dying moments of the match, Kees Smit received his marching orders for a cynical foul, reducing AZ Alkmaar to 10 men. Galatasaray thought they had snatched all three points when Victor Osimhen nodded home, but their jubilation was short-lived as the goal was disallowed following a VAR review.

Ultimately, neither side could find the winning goal, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. This result extended AZ Alkmaar's impressive unbeaten run against Turkish opponents to eight games. The Dutch side remains on track to secure a play-off spot and potentially qualify for the UEFA Europa League knockouts for the first time since the 2019/20 campaign.

The draw brought an end to Galatasaray's seven-game winning streak. Additionally, the Turkish side has now gone five European outings without a victory against Dutch opposition, a streak they will be eager to break in the future.