Korkmaz praises valiant Cimbom display

Galatasaray AŞ coach Bülent Korkmaz hailed a "fantastic display" from his side after they held out for a 1-1 draw at Hamburger SV in the first leg of their UEFA Cup last-16 tie despite the second-half dismissal of defender Emre Aşık.

Effective gameplan
"Our composition on the pitch was very good as we only left very little room for Hamburg's players to move," Korkmaz said. "They created dangerous attacks when we lost the ball while trying to get out of our own half. There were good times and bad times during the game but, most important of all, my players gave a fantastic display when playing with ten men and secured an advantage for the return leg."

Historic opener
Midfielder Ayhan Akman put Galatasaray ahead just past the half-hour, scoring a crucial away goal, but it was also a milestone strike as it was the 1000th goal by a Turkish club in European competition. "I feel proud of scoring such an important goal," Ayhan said. That goal, although cancelled out by Marcell Jansen in the second half, also meant Korkmaz kept his unbeaten record as coach which now stands at four games, but it was not before surviving a couple of scares.

Backline blues
After being reduced to ten men on 53 minutes and with the game tied at 1-1, Korkmaz made a brave decision by moving left-winger Harry Kewell to centre-half in an attempt to shore up the defence. "Obviously, it was risky to put a player into an unfamiliar position," Korkmaz said, "but Kewell played as a defender during his youth-team days. He used all his experience and wisdom and he did not let me down." Indeed, Kewell could be called upon for a similar role in the next week's return at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium as Korkmaz must plan without defensive trio Fernando Meira, who joined FC Zenit St. Petersburg this week, Servet Çetin (injured) and Emre Aşık (suspended).