Osimhen's first-half strike separates Galatasaray from Başakşehir at the break

Galatasaray arrived at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu looking to extend an unbeaten start to the Super Lig season, and by the interval they had done the only thing that matters: scored the goal. Victor Osimhen, operating as the focal point of a 4-2-3-1 that mirrored Başakşehir's shape, finished from a Lucas Torreira assist in the 16th minute, a right-footed strike from regular play that carried an xG of 0.10. It was not the highest-value chance of the half, but it was the one that landed.

The numbers underneath that single goal tell a clearer story than the scoreboard. Galatasaray finished the first 45 minutes with an xG of 0.97 against Başakşehir's 0.32, generated six shots to four, and put four on target against one. They recorded both of the half's big chances, edged possession 52-48, and completed 195 passes at 87% accuracy against Başakşehir's 176 at 84%. The direction of play tilted steadily toward the home goal: 94 opposition-half passes from Galatasaray against 74 from Başakşehir, and 11 touches in the box against eight.

Başakşehir's clearest route back into the match was the dead ball. They earned four corners in the first half, matching Galatasaray's count, and the visitors' xG from set plays alone (0.16) outstripped Başakşehir's entire first-half output from open play (0.28) only barely. Discipline tightened the leash. Başakşehir picked up the only yellow card of the half, with fouls running 8-10 in a stretched, transitional opening period.

Osimhen's evening ended early. He was withdrawn in the 33rd minute for Baris Alper Yilmaz, with Mario Lemina replaced by Abdülkerim Bardakci at half-time, two of the four changes Okan Buruk used inside the first 45 minutes. The reshuffle leaves Galatasaray's shape intact but reshuffles the central attacking axis around Yilmaz, with Yunus Akgün and Christopher Opéri still providing width and Aleksey Batrakov linking through the middle.

For Başakşehir, the arithmetic is unforgiving: zero goals, one shot on target, no big chances. They will need to manufacture a moment from open play, where their 0.28 xG in the first half offered no real threat. Galatasaray, who earlier this calendar year beat Başakşehir 3-0 at RAMS Park in the title-defining stretch of last season, have already controlled territory, territory, and the scoreboard. The question at the break is whether the visitors can convert their 0.97 first-half xG into a second goal, or whether Başakşehir's set-piece volume translates into the equaliser that keeps the contest alive.

FotMob.