After difficult weeks, Leroy Sané shines for Galatasaray with a brace. The Turkish press praises his performance and evaluates it as a signal to national coach Julian Nagelsmann.
While the medium Fanatik spoke appreciatively of a “show” by Sané, the newspaper Sabah wrote: “The star of the game for the Yellow-Reds was Leroy Sané with his goals.”
Milliyet joined in: “Leroy Sané, who was under criticism before the international break, dominated the game.” The paper also emphasizes: “Sané scored after six weeks and thus ended his goal drought.”
Sané shines upon return to starting lineup
His only goal to date since his transfer from FC Bayern to Galatasaray had been scored by Sané at the end of August in the 4-0 win against Kayserispor. After weaker performances, such as the 1-5 defeat in the Champions League against Eintracht Frankfurt, the offensive player recently found himself on the bench twice.
Against Basaksehir, Sané returned to the starting lineup – and how: Shortly before halftime, he put Galatasaray in the lead (45.+3), and in the 61st minute he added the second goal, securing the 2-1 away win against the team of former BVB coach Nuri Sahin.
The Turkish media unanimously highlighted a special “premiere” by Sané after two and a half years: In an away game, it was Sané’s first brace since August 2023 – back then still in the jersey of FC Bayern during the away game in Bremen. In a home game, Sané last scored two goals for FCB in March against St. Pauli.
German national team? Sané wants to “obviously change” the situation
In his strong performance, the press also saw a signal to national coach Julian Nagelsmann, who had recently no longer considered the former Bayern star for the German national team.
“Sané, who is not getting playing time in the Champions League and is slowly disappearing from the national team’s radar, now obviously wants to change this situation. Yesterday he was more responsible,” was stated by Hürriyet : “Yesterday’s game was probably a new attempt to prove himself.”
Sané remains calm and draws a positive conclusion
Sané himself drew a positive conclusion about his first months in Istanbul after the game. “I think I have settled in very well here. I am very happy in this city. The club supports us very much. I am glad to be part of such a good team. That’s why I feel very happy,” he emphasized.
However, he did not want to overvalue his remarkable performance, which certainly should not have remained hidden from the national coach. “I am a team player,” explained Sané. “For me, it’s important that we win at the end of the game. No matter who scores the goals, we play as a team to win.”