Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night was a result of a disappointing first-half display, according to Ange Postecoglou. Despite a bold second-half effort with 10 men, Spurs were unable to recover from a 3-1 deficit at the break, with Galatasaray capitalising on their chances through an early strike from Yunus Akgun and a brace from Victor Osimhen.
It was a bittersweet night for Academy graduate Will Lankshear, who marked his first senior goal for Tottenham with an equaliser to cancel out Yunus Akgun’s opener. However, his celebration was short-lived as he was sent off in the 60th minute after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession.
Ange feels the team could have done better
Despite being down to 10 men, Spurs fought back as Galatasaray missed several chances, and Fraser Forster made crucial saves. Tottenham managed to reduce the deficit to 3-2 when Dominic Solanke backheeled the ball home in the 69th minute, sparking hopes of a comeback. The game nearly took a dramatic turn in added time when Deki Kulusevski, after a miscue from Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, fired wide of an empty net, and the chance for an equaliser slipped away.
Speaking to Tottenhamhotspur media after the game, Ange reflected
“I’m disappointed with the first half – we were nowhere near the levels we should be, especially with the ball, really wasteful. That played into their hands with the players they’ve got in the front third, giving the ball away in areas we shouldn’t, and they punish you for it.
“That was disappointing… second half, going down to 10 men, it was always going to make things challenging, but I always felt we’d finish stronger, and I thought we did, the 10 guys out there, we probably played our best football down to 10 men, scored a good goal, couple of other chances, and we could have got something out of the game.”
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Ange Postecoglou reflected on Will Lankshear’s performance, commending the young forward for his well-taken goal and tireless work. He stated, “He took his goal well, he worked hard for the team, and I’m sure he’ll learn from the experience. The same goes for Lucas (Bergvall), as they both need to understand the levels in this game, and it’s important to expose them to that. I thought Archie (Gray) was great too.”
With such valuable lessons, Tottenham’s young talents are set to develop quickly, contributing to the team’s future success.
Tottenham now turn their focus to their upcoming clash against Ipswich Town, with Ange Postecoglou hoping for a stronger overall performance. While he wasn’t pleased with Thursday’s first-half display, he took pride in the team’s resilience following Lankshear’s red card. With this grit and determination, Tottenham remain set on their path to compete for silverware this season.
