Galatasaray star Ilkay Gundogan: 'It was a very sad evening'

Galatasaray lost 1-0 to Union Saint-Gilloise in the 5th week of UEFA Champions League and star player İlkay Gündoğan made statements after the match.

"A VERY SAD EVENING"

Saying that it was a sad evening, İlkay Gündoğan said, "It was a very sad evening. We couldn't put the performance we wanted on the pitch. We wanted to start calmly, patiently, with good play. We made a lot of mistakes, we lost too many balls, especially in the first half. We were better in the second half, but there is nothing to say, we have too many deficiencies."

Stating that they need to get better as a team, İlkay Gündoğan continued as follows"I am also back from injury, there are deficiencies. I need to complete them. We need to be better as a team. It is a very sad loss but we will move on."

"WE NEED TO IMPROVE OUR PERFORMANCE"

Finally, İlkay Gündoğan said that they need to improve their performance and concluded his sentences with the following words: "If we get three points in the Champions League, I think we are guaranteed to qualify for the Play-Offs. We need to improve our performance. We need to play much better in the Fenerbahçe match on Monday."

İlkay Gündoğan made statements to the press members at RAMS Park after the match.

Noting that it was a sad evening for them, İlkay said, "It was a score and performance we did not expect. We started the first half badly, we couldn't find our rhythm, we didn't start as we wanted, we made too many turnovers and passing mistakes. This spoiled our game. In the second half we were a bit better, we played simpler and we conceded a goal. It was a score we didn't want. We have a lot of deficiencies. Let's not let that be an excuse. There are players, including myself, who cannot find their rhythm. There are players who haven't seen the pitch for a few weeks. I hope the missing players will come back as soon as possible. We need to be better. We need to perform better. Now we need to focus on the derby with Fenerbahçe on Monday."

"OUR SQUAD IS VERY NARROW RIGHT NOW"

Speaking about his physical condition, the experienced midfielder said, "There are some deficiencies. This was evident today. I didn't perform as well as I wanted. I want to correct these deficiencies as soon as possible. I need a little more match rhythm. The most important point is not to get injured again. Our squad is very narrow right now. I need to play at least 60-70, maybe 90 minutes in the upcoming matches. This is risky for a player who is out for 4-5 weeks. We need to take those risks right now. I need to find my rhythm little by little. I need to get better. As a team we want to show another face on Monday night. We want to get a good score with a good performance."

Referring to the Fenerbahçe derby, İlkay said, "Maybe this is the beauty of football. The aftermath of one match is the preamble to the next. Against such an opponent, after such a score, we need to be motivated for the derby. This derby is one of the biggest derbies in the world. It's an important match for us and for our fans. We want to put on a good performance. I think we will get a good score. Our goal is the Fenerbahçe derby on Monday night."