Nihat Kahveci praises Galatasaray star: “He’s a machine!”

Lucas Torreira’s performance gave Nihat Kahveci plenty to celebrate after Galatasaray’s 3-2 away win over Başakşehir. Torreira scored one goal and made one assist, prompting Kahveci to dismiss suggestions that the midfielder had declined.

“Isn’t this what I’ve been saying, that Galatasaray cannot do without Torreira?” Kahveci said. “Let him dip a little. He is competing with Abdülkerim to see who will play the most minutes in his fifth season. He’s a machine.”

Kahveci was also impressed by Rafael Leão, who made his first appearance for Galatasaray. He said Leão helped create the move for Torreira’s goal and produced a burst of speed in the 81st minute before reaching the byline and delivering a good cross.

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Isn’t this what I’ve been saying, that Galatasaray cannot do without Torreira? Let him dip a little. He is competing with Abdülkerim to see who will play the most minutes in his fifth season. He’s a machine.

“I saw that Leão will contribute a lot to Galatasaray,” Kahveci said. He added that, alongside Victor Osimhen, Leão appeared hungry to play and had already excited Galatasaray supporters.

Aleksey Batrakov also drew detailed praise. Kahveci pointed to his assist for Osimhen in the opening seconds, his pass before Yunus’s shot, his corner, and several other passes and attacking moves. He said Batrakov was involved throughout the match, read where to play before receiving the ball, used one-touch passes well and made good runs into the penalty area. Kahveci cautioned that Batrakov disappeared in midfield after Osimhen came off, but said the player would improve and should be developed over time.

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I saw that Leão will contribute a lot to Galatasaray.