On Sunday, in his ninth appearance for Galatasaray SK, Dries Ciro Mertens finally scored his first goal of the season. The Belgian timed his run to perfection before using the instep of his right boot to volley in the cross from ex-Inter Milan star Mauro Icardi.
Icardi doubled Galatasaray’s lead at the midway point of the first half, but ten minutes later, Sacha Boey was shown a straight red card. As a result, Mertens was replaced at the break.
Galatasaray’s opponent, Alanyaspor Kulübü, scored twice in the second half, en route to a 2-2 draw. Mertens addressed the media after the match.
“Obviously it was a pity. We got a red card in the first half. We also don’t know if this is a red card or not. We played well, we got opportunities. A very early red card had a direct impact on the match. We were playing a match between two teams, but this decision directly affected the match.”