Galatasaray's four goals ran well ahead of their chances at Lille

Galatasaray beat Lille 4-2 in the Champions League after a VAR decision cancelled Victor Osimhen's penalty, and their goals came from far fewer chances than the scoreline suggests.

Six goals in a Champions League match at Stade Pierre-Mauroy is well above the 3.7 that this league averages per match, and Galatasaray scored four of them. The first half turned on something that never reached the scoreboard. Victor Osimhen's penalty was cancelled after a VAR check in the 27th minute, and the score stayed 1-1 for another twelve minutes before Soriba Diaoune put Lille in front.

Expected goals is a way of measuring how good a side's chances were, judging each shot by where and how it was taken. Galatasaray's chances came to 1.66, a little under the league average of 1.77 per side. They still scored four, which means their finishing was far better than the quality of their chances would predict, and that is what makes their afternoon unusual.

Lille's chances came to 1.76, almost exactly the league norm, so their two goals were roughly what they had earned. They held 55% of the ball to Galatasaray's 45%, and nine of their shots came from inside the box, one more than Galatasaray managed. The home side took 14 shots, a touch under the league's usual 14.7, so their return was ordinary on both counts rather than a surprise.

Diaoune gave the first half its shape. He scored both of Lille's goals, the first in the 7th minute with the assist credited to Alexsandro, and the second in the 39th minute with the assist credited to Hákon Arnar Haraldsson. He had three shots, all on target, and his rating of 9 was the highest mark on the sheet before he was taken off in the 75th minute.

Galatasaray's goals came from different places. Yunus Akgün opened the scoring in the 2nd minute, Aleksey Batrakov struck just before half-time, and Osimhen scored in the 61st minute with the assist credited to Baris Alper Yilmaz. Osimhen had four shots, the most of any player listed for either side, and his rating of 7.8 reflects a forward who stayed involved after his penalty was cancelled.

Neither club has a point in the standings yet. Lille are 34th in the table and Galatasaray 35th, with both sides on nil points, so this match changed the goal tallies far more than it changed the league picture. The defeat leaves Lille still searching for their first win in the competition's table, while Galatasaray remain level with them on zero points.

Recent form tells a similar story for both sides. Galatasaray have won three of their last six matches, and Lille have won two.

Player of the matchS. Diaoune2 goals9.0

V. Osimhen1 goal7.8

A. Batrakov1 goal7.7

Alexsandro Ribeiro1 assist7.2