Galatasaray and Bordeaux served up a memorable clash in Istanbul as the Frenchmen unfortunately crashed out of the UEFA Cup side to a host side that deserved their success on the balance of play. After a rather boring opening scoreless draw in the first leg, few would have predicted the seven-goal thriller that this tie produced. Bellion shot Laurent Blanc’s men ahead in the first minute before Galatasaray responded twice just before half time and once after the break. Bordeaux scored two quick-fire goals of their own but Sabri smashed home a late winner for Gala.

It was a fine performance by the hosts, who spent long periods of the game camped in the Bordeaux half, although they would be prone to defensive gaffes, which allowed their guests in to score on three occasions. They were particularly impressive going forward with diminutive midfielder Arda Turan particular imposing. Mehmet Topal’s early injury because Kewell would come onto the park to score a fine goal, which really proved a momentum-shifting moment. Bordeaux, aside from their lively strike pairing of Bellion and Chamakh, would produce a pretty miserable performance. Diarra just about earned pass marks in the centre of the midfield while Henrique and Placente had poor games in defence. Diawara was strong while Ramé was mediocre in goal.

Within seconds of the kick-off, David Bellion had scored the quickest goal in the history of the UEFA Cup. A simple long ball forward was missed by Meria, allowing the visiting player through on goal to score a simple and potentially crucial away goal for les Girondins. Unfortunately for the guests, such momentum would not last. Fernando Menegazzo nearly contrived to score an own goal, sending a cross spinning against his own crossbar, before Des Sanctis produced an important save from a Chamakh header to prevent the hosts going two behind. They would make such a save count, racing ahead before half time. Arda Turan rattled a shot past Ramé and, incredibly, through the legs of Henrique, who was stationed on the line. Moments later, Galatasaray moved in front in the tie for the first time as Harry Kewell unleashed a terrific shot from distance that found Ramé’s top corner. With the wind firmly in their sails, Gala looked to build on their lead early in the second half and had several opportunities to do so. Still, when Arda Turan latched onto Lincoln’s centre at the near post to steer a low shot into Ramé’s goal, it looked like game over. Blanc gambled by introducing Cavenaghi and the Argentine made a profound difference, beating two players to set-up Chamakh for a relatively simple finish to bring Bordeaux back into the game. Only a couple of minutes later, the prolific striker took advantage of hesitancy in the home defence to shoot home a levelling goal that took Bordeaux ahead again. Gala rushed forward and pounced with only seconds remaining, Sabri sending a shot through a ruck of players after Bordeaux had failed to clear a corner.

The goal sparked wild scenes in the home stands as one of the great European evenings had been given the kind of finish the home fans dreamed of. Bordeaux were left dejected and left to ponder their Ligue 1 campaign.