The CimBom conquers the Fortress of Light- Benfica 0-2 Galatasaray

By: Musab | November 6th, 2008

I’ve been putting a lotta slack on Skibbe for his poor results lately. I’ve also stated that the Benfica and Fenerbahce away matches were vital for his security. In the first of these matches, Skibbe has shown that perhaps he has what it takes to stay in charge of this team.

BENFİCA: 0 GALATASARAY: 2

Stadium: Estadio do Luz
Referee: Martin Atkinson

BENFICA: Quim, Pereira, Luisao, Sidnei, Riberio, Di Maria, Katsouranis, Yebda (min. 65 Martins), Reyes (min. 57 Aimar), Suazo, Nuno Gomes (min. 61 Cardoza)
Manager: Quique Sanchez Flores

GALATASARAY:De Sanctis, Sabri, Emre Aşık, Servet, Hakan, Arda, Meira, Ayhan, Lincoln, Baros (min. 81 Volkan Yaman), Ümit Karan (min. 89 Yaser Yildiz)
Manager: Micheal Skibbe

Goals: min. 52 Emre Asik, min. 69 Ümit Karan (Galatasaray)
Yellow Cards: Servet, Ayhan (Galatasaray) Pereira (Benfica)

I just have to say that this was the best I’ve seen from Galatasaray this season. The last match when they played this good was last year against Fenerbahce in the match that decided the league title. What we saw against Benfica was a team that completely dominated the play of the game in the very first couple of minutes and all of the second half. While many chances were missed before the goals, it was very apparent that whoever scored the first goal would go on to take full points.

This match was arguably the best Lincoln put out since his arrival from Schalke. He got past his opponents easily, didnt force himself into difficult positions as he did in the past, and his highly intelligent play allowed Galatasaray to easily get into chances to score. If this team really hopes to make it to the UEFA Cup final thsi year, Lincoln needs to keep up with this form.

But the man of the match is without a doubt golden boy Arda. I don’t know what we’d do without you Arda. He ran left and right for almsot the entire match and made several great passes that left Umit Karan and Baros one on one with Quim. Arda ran forward and came back depending on the situation and showed once again that the “hirs” of our young boys is more powerful than any opponents skills.

There were others who deserve some mention as well. Goalie Morgan de Sanctis had himself a great match today as he made a great splitsecond save as well as not making any mistakes on deadball situations and any one-on-ones. Hakan Balta once again played in his calm and collected manner and didnt let his opponents get past him easily. He came forward to help in the attacks when necesssary and got back to his spot when the opposition surged forward.

But of course It just wouldn’t be correct if I didn’t applaud Skibbe on his brilliant tactics and understanding of the game and task at hand. By playing both Baros and Umit up front against a Benfica who only played only Nuno Gomes up front in the Estadio Luz showed that he wasnt afraid of taking chances against opposition. Skibbe knew that a win today would virtually guarantee us a spot in the next round and would also increase our chances of finshing first in the table.

Skibbe knew that he was under pressure and he knew that for Galatasaray to be credible on its promise to reach the final, Benfica would have to be won. By motivating his players and using his knowlede of European football, Skibbe completely unraveled Quique Flores’ plans and made sure that Galatasaray would walk away with all three points. This victory will definitly remove a lot of pressure of Skibbe’s shoulders and with a win away at Fenerbahce this Sunday, perhaps will give him the credit he needs to continue the race for the titles this year.