ISTANBUL — In an exciting Europa League match, Galatasaray triumphed over the Swedish team Elfsborg with a score of 4-3, achieving three goals in the first half. Meanwhile, Norway’s Bodø/Glimt snatched a last-minute victory against ten-man Braga, finishing the match 2-1.

Mauro Icardi was the first to score for Galatasaray, finding the net in the 28th minute. Just 11 minutes later, a header from Abdülkerim Bardakc? deflected off Elfsborg’s goalkeeper Isak Pettersson, inadvertently pushing the ball into the net. As the first half neared its conclusion, Bar?? Alper Y?lmaz added a third goal, leading Galatasaray to a commanding 3-0 lead.

The second half saw Elfsborg respond quickly, with Niklas Hult scoring shortly after the break. Michael Baidoo then converted a penalty, narrowing the gap to 3-2. However, Yunus Akgün’s impressive solo goal in the 83rd minute briefly restored a two-goal buffer for Galatasaray. Elfsborg’s Johan Larsson managed to score in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.

In another fixture on the same night, Bodø/Glimt secured their win with a late goal from substitute Villads Nielsen during stoppage time against Braga in Portugal. Sikou Niakaté brought Braga level in the 64th minute, canceling out their 1-0 deficit; however, he was sent off shortly after, receiving a second yellow card that left his team with ten players.

With these results, both Galatasaray and Bodø/Glimt currently sit at the top of the table with seven points each in the updated competition format. There are an impressive sixteen matches lined up for Thursday, including a notable clash between Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho, and Manchester United, who Mourinho famously led to a Europa League title in 2017.