March 1, 2009: Galatasaray beats Konya

New Galatasaray AŞ coach Bülent Korkmaz has warned that "this is just the beginning for me and my team" after overcoming FC Girondins de Bordeaux 4-3 in his first match in charge to reach the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.

Immediate impact
Korkmaz only took the reigns on Monday following the dismissal of Michael Skibbe and he quickly changed the mood at the club by leading them to a last-gasp win after Bordeaux had fought back from 3-1 down to level the tie late on. "We are delighted to see a happy ending to this tough match," he said, after Sabri Sarıoğlu had hit the decisive goal. "Even when the score was 3-3, I had faith we could win. My players fought to the final whistle and the support of the fans was fantastic. Everybody should be aware that this is just the beginning both for me and my team."

Final goal
The victory ended a run of five games without victory for the Turkish outfit, but Korkmaz insisted he alone was not to thank for the turnaround, before he set his sights on the UEFA Cup final in Istanbul in May. "My contribution to the success was small," he said. "I don't have a magic wand. Former coach Skibbe has a share in this success. What I did was psychologically prepare my players for the game and increase their confidence. Galatasaray have a very good squad. A good blend of Turkish and foreign players. We just need patience. If you set a target it should be the final."

Blanc praise
While Korkmaz focused on European success, matchwinner Sabri was happy to have finally ended Cimbom's poor run of form. "We knew that the Bordeaux match was a chance for us to stop our negative run in the league," he said. "The fans, players, technical staff and board were united and we got the win. It is a very positive thing for me to score the winning goal. In the 15 years I've been here, I have never hesitated to do my utmost for the club." Galatasaray's display even received a word of praise from Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc, who said: "If they repeat that display, they can knock Hamburger SV out and go all the way to the final."

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