Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk moved quickly to calm any concerns after his side’s 1-1 home draw against Kocaelispor on April 12.
Speaking after the match, Buruk acknowledged the missed opportunity but remained confident, stating, “We’ve experienced similar things before. We will be champions again. No one should worry.” He added that with the season now entering a decisive phase, “we’re down to single matches” and pointed to fatigue as a factor: “Playing three games in a row this week tired us out a bit.”
Buruk also analyzed the performance in detail, reporting that Galatasaray controlled large stretches of the game. “We played the first half in the lead and didn’t let our opponent near our goal. In the second half, up to a certain minute, we didn’t give away any chances either,” he said. Regardless, he admitted that failing to add a second goal proved costly: “If we had scored the second goal, we could have sealed the match.”
Despite the dropped points, Galatasaray remain top of the Süper Lig table. Their focus now moves to an away fixture against Gençlerbirliği on April 18, followed by the season-defining home derby against Fenerbahçe on April 26.