ANKARA
Galatasaray beat Olimpija Ljubljana 3-0 on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League to take a huge lead ahead of the second leg of the third qualifying round.
Turkish forward Kerem Akturkoglu scored an early goal in the area to give a 1-0 lead to the visitors at Stozice Stadium.
In the 48th minute, Galatasaray’s Belgian midfielder Dries Mertens doubled the gap.
Mertens sent a through ball to his teammate Baris Alper Yilmaz, but Olimpija Ljubljana goalkeeper Matevz Vidovsek emptied his goal to tackle him. Mertens followed the loose ball and sent a low shot to beat him.
In the 91st minute, Halil Dervisoglu, Galatasaray’s Turkish forward, made it 3-0 with a header. Akturkoglu whipped a cross from a corner to assist him.
Galatasaray have a big advantage for the second leg, which will be played on Aug. 15 at Istanbul’s RAMS Park.