Euphorically celebrated as this summer’s top signing, Leroy Sané has not yet been able to show his worth in his first appearances for Galatasaray. That changed on Sunday evening.
Missed (big) chances, unfortunate actions: Sané’s first appearances for Galatasaray did not go down well with the German international or the frenetic Istanbul fans. The media response was equally harsh. “Sané has not settled in yet,” was the latest verdict from the country’s biggest newspaper, Sabah, which went on to say: “The German star was still a long way from his expected performance.”
This was particularly true in view of the fans, who had welcomed the new hope like a big superstar after his move from FC Bayern Munich to the city and the traditional club. At least Sané was allowed to play the full 90 minutes in both the 3-0 win against Gaziantep FK and the first home game against Fatih Karagümrük SK (also 3-0) under coach Okan Buruk.
Sané: “I was lucky.”
On Sunday evening, during the third matchday of the SüperLig, when the team traveled to Kayseri to face Markus Gisdol’s team (formerly 1. FC Köln, Hamburger SV, Hoffenheim), the knot finally burst. Starting in the starting eleven, Sané first set up the 2-0 by double scorer Elmali (36th and 46th minutes).
After a bit of a lull in the final phase, Garant Osimhen made it 3-0 (86th minute) before Sané scored his first goal in his new jersey. The 29-year-old dribbled in from the right, shot from distance with his strong left foot and benefited from a decisive touch on his low shot. Kayserispor keeper Bayazit had no chance, caught on the wrong foot (90+3).
Incidentally, the reigning champions and cup winners consolidated their position at the top of the table with nine points and a goal difference of 10-0 from three league games, ahead of Trabzonspor, Göztepe, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and others.
Sané, who celebrated his first points of the season by briefly putting his finger to his lips after the final whistle (perhaps a message to his critics), was visibly happy with his delayed goal and assist debut when speaking to beIN Sports. He said he was very happy to have scored for the first time, even though he knew, “I was a bit lucky with my goal, of course.” The attacker added smugly: “So far, they haven’t seen the real Sané yet.”
