The Spanish international’s strike decided the game before half-time. With the 4-0 win over Hatayspor, Galatasaray have now won eight consecutive Super League matches.
Good positioning, opportunism and precision. Just before the break, Juan Mata used his experience and resources to put Hatayspor down in two minutes. With time running out, Mata scored a header after a cross from Dubois. Shortly afterwards, he took advantage of the rebound from Icardi’s shot to score his second goal of the game. In the blink of an eye, the game went from 1-0 to 3-0. A blow too hard for the visitors.
The 4-0 with which the match ended reinforces Galatasaray’s unstoppable lead. Okan’s men have now won their eighth consecutive Super League match. The match, in the 19th gameweek of the competition, got off to an early start. Kerem Aktürkoğlu gave Galatasaray the lead in the ninth minute and Juan took centre stage.
First brace since 2017
The Asturian, who had made his goalscoring debut in Turkey against Fatih Karagümrük, had not scored a brace since 23 December 2017. He did it then in the Premier League, as a Manchester United player and with Leicester City as opponents.
In addition to the two goals, Mata excelled in passing (92% efficiency). He created up to four chances with his deliveries to his team-mates and, when substituted in the 70th minute, he left to the applause of the more than 40,000 spectators presents at the NEF Stadyumu. Bafétimbi Gomis, in the 77th minute, rounded off the scoring.
“It’s a pleasure to score in front of these fans. Right now we are where we want to be. We need to be humble because there are many more games to come,” Juan told Galatasaray TV after the win. They next face Alanyaspor in the last 16 of the Cup on Tuesday.
