04.04.2026 23:30
Galatasaray's head coach Okan Buruk made statements following the defeat against Trabzonspor. Stating that the match was interrupted frequently, Okan Buruk said, "The game wasn't played much. Especially in the final part... Onana managed the time well from the beginning to the end. I don't want to say anything, Onana does this well. He stopped the game, lay down, didn't let it continue, and received a late yellow card."
Galatasaray's head coach Okan Buruk made statements following the 2-1 loss to Trabzonspor in the Super League.
"I THOUGHT WE COULD WIN" Evaluating the match, Okan Buruk said, "We didn't start the match well. We weren't good for many parts of the first half. We fell behind 1-0. When we had the ball, our midfielders sometimes came too far back; if we could position ourselves correctly to break the opponent's pressure, we would have had a chance to break the pressure. We did better in the second half. With İlkay coming in and Yunus moving to the wing, and Noa moving behind the striker, we increased our ball possession to around 73%. After making it 1-1, I thought we could win. We were in control of the game, the ball was with us. A foul was committed, then a goal, and they waited in their half and defended well." he said.
"ONANA SLOWED DOWN THE MATCH" Stating that Trabzonspor's goalkeeper Andre Onana slowed down the match, Okan Buruk said, "The match wasn't played much. Especially in the last part... Onana managed the time well from start to finish. I don't want to say anything, Onana does this well. He stopped the match, lay down, didn't let it play, and received a late yellow card. There were very few extra minutes. There was no play in the extra time. It stopped for 2-3 minutes and the match ended. Maybe we could have produced something there. We had settled in the opponent's half. One-on-ones, side crosses... There were 1-2 chances from set pieces. In the second half, we were better compared to the first half. Overall, we fell short of Galatasaray's game. I want to congratulate the opponent." he expressed.
''WE WILL BE CHAMPIONS" Explaining the conversation that took place in the locker room after the match, the experienced coach said, "We have an advantage, of course, an important advantage. This match will be a lesson for us. It will motivate us as well. What happened at the end of the match, what happened here, what happened in the locker room... All of it became motivation for our team. It was discussed inside as well. Losing is sad. Galatasaray will be the champion of this league. No one should worry. We will play an important match on Wednesday. We will try to increase the point difference with the Göztepe match. Galatasaray fans shouldn't be sad, shouldn't lose their morale. We discussed this topic inside. We have experienced such things a lot. This is the fourth year. I will do much more with my players. Sometimes these kinds of lessons are good. Losing points is sad, but we need to put more energy on the field for the championship. We should play these kinds of matches more comfortably. We experienced it at Liverpool and Juventus as well. We need to trust ourselves more. A team at this level needs to be more skillful when the ball is at their feet. The difference between home and away is the lack of confidence when the ball is with us. We need to eliminate this. Either you will change the player or you will get a better one. An important match awaits us." he stated.
"THERE IS A CLEAR YELLOW CARD, VAR IS CALLING THE REFEREE" Continuing his words, the successful coach said, "What happened at the end of the match is not what we wanted. I congratulated Fatih Hoca. Unnecessary things happened at the end of the match. Abdülkerim received an unnecessary second yellow card. We are expecting many things. Like the VAR referee calling. The VAR referee is calling for a very clear yellow card." he commented.
''IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET THE BALL TO THE STRIKER'' Finally, Okan Buruk spoke about Victor Osimhen and Mauro Icardi, saying, "They show the same desire. Trabzonspor becomes different because they don't have Onuachu. Of course, there are some habits. The players who play also have a lack of match experience. Icardi hasn't played for a long time, he came in later in the matches he played. He also needs time. They are giving their best at the highest level. Mauro Icardi and the other players... They tried to do their best. It didn't happen, sometimes it doesn't. It's important to get the ball to the striker. When we get him the ball more, we become more dangerous. Some players become more important for the team." he evaluated.