Galatasaray Bid Farewell to European Competitions
A harsh tackle by Kaan Ayhan, punished with a red card, left Galatasaray at a disadvantage, and from that moment, they lost control of the match and were defeated 4-1 by Sparta Prague, who advanced to the Europa League round of 16.
The Turkish side couldn't recover from the expulsion of their right-back in the 70th minute. Until that moment, they had the qualification under control. After that, they collapsed.
Galatasaray had won in Istanbul in the first leg, 3-2. They lost 3-1 in this match. Sparta moved forward.
Ecuadorian Ángelo Preciado put the Czech team ahead eight minutes into the game, but Abdulkerim Bardakci equalized fifteen minutes later. The score remained level until Ayhan's expulsion. Everything changed then.
Albanian Indrit Tuci put the score at 2-1, balancing the tie, and in the 80th minute, Lukas Haraslin scored the third goal for the home team, securing Sparta Prague's place in the round of 16.
The local celebration was heightened with a fourth goal in added time, scored by Jan Kuchta, against a defeated opponent.