Europa League 2024-25: Icardi scores for Galatasaray in 3-0 win, Bodo/Glimt beats Braga

Turkish side Galatasaray and Norwegian Bodo/Glimt are both on seven points to provisionally lead the table in the revamped competition of the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League.

Published : Oct 23, 2024 23:05 IST , ISTANBUL - 1 MIN READ

Galatasaray’s Argentine forward Mauro Icardi (R) fights for the ball. | Photo Credit: AFP

Galatasaray scored three first-half goals en route to a 4-3 victory over Swedish club Elfsborg while Norway’s Bodo/Glimt netted a late winner to beat 10-man Braga 2-1 in the Europa League on Wednesday.

Mauro Icardi opened the scoring for the Turkish league leader in the 28th minute before Abdülkerim Bardakcı’s header 11 minutes later hit Elfsborg goalkeeper Isak Pettersson and deflected into the net.

Barış Alper Yılmaz made it 3-0 a minute before halftime.

The visitors scored early in the second half through Niklas Hult on a counter before Michael Baidoo made it 3-2 from the spot.

But Yunus Akgun stretched the advantage to two on a fine solo effort in the 83rd. Johan Larsson scored in stoppage-time for Elfsborg.

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In the second-tier competition’s only other game Wednesday, Bodø/Glimt needed substitute Villads Nielsen’s stoppage-time goal to get past Braga in Portugal.

Sikou Niakate netted for the home team in the 64th to erase the visitors’ 1-0 lead three minutes before he was sent off after receiving his second yellow card.

Galatasaray and Bodø/Glimt are both on seven points to provisionally lead the table in the revamped competition.

Sixteen games are scheduled for Thursday. They include a matchup between Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce and Manchester United, the English Premier League club he steered to the 2017 Europa League title.