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Galatasaray maintained their unbeaten pre-season record with a 2-2 draw against Italian Serie A side Lazio at RAMS Park on Saturday, with Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira scoring both goals for the hosts.
The Turkish champions have now gone five friendly matches without defeat as they prepare for the new season, having previously beaten Umraniyespor 5-2, Admira Wacker 2-1, Cagliari 3-1 and Strasbourg 3-1.
Torreira opened the scoring in the 10th minute, heading home from Gabriel Sara's free kick at the back post.
The 29-year-old midfielder doubled his tally in the 74th minute with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area, securing the draw for Galatasaray.
After the match, fans requested Torreira pose for a photo, and the Uruguayan obliged by taking a selfie with teammate Eyup Aydin for the supporters.
Galatasaray started the match with a lineup featuring Gunay Guvenc, Kaan Ayhan, Davinson Sanchez, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Eren Elmali, Mario Lemina, Lucas Torreira, Gabriel Sara, Leroy Sane, Ismail Jakobs and Roland Sallai.
The home side took the lead through Torreira's early goal, but Lazio equalized in the 33rd minute when Sanchez scored an own goal from a corner kick.
The Italian visitors took a 2-1 lead into halftime after Mattia Zaccagni found the net in the 45+1 minute.
Head coach Okan Buruk made numerous substitutions throughout the second half to give playing time to his squad.
Yunus Akgun replaced Eren Elmali at halftime, followed by multiple changes in the 62nd minute when Baris Alper Yilmaz, Ahmed Kutucu, Derrick Kohn and Elias Jelert entered for Lemina, Sane, Abdulkerim and Kaan respectively.
Further substitutions came in the 75th minute (Arda Unyay for Jakobs) and 83rd minute when Buruk replaced Torreira with Eyup Aydin, Sallai with Kazimcan Karatas, Sara with Metehan Baltaci and Sanchez with Victor Nelsson.
New signing Leroy Sane made his first start at RAMS Park, playing 63 minutes in his second appearance for the club. The German winger celebrated with fans after the match, carrying an UltrAslan flag as he toured the pitch and greeted supporters behind both goals.
Despite their unbeaten record, Galatasaray conceded goals in all five pre-season matches. They allowed two goals each against Umraniyespor and Lazio, while conceding once against Admira Wacker, Cagliari and Strasbourg.
Lazio's French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi praised the atmosphere at RAMS Park following the match.
"There's an incredible atmosphere here. This stadium is always full. The fans are constantly behind their team. You should be proud of these kinds of supporters," Guendouzi told reporters.
Despite being whistled by Galatasaray fans, Guendouzi remained positive about the experience.
"I loved it. As a footballer, you need to experience these kinds of atmospheres. I'm a player who tries to give everything on the pitch. As a footballer, you should be proud of yourself for playing in these kinds of atmospheres," he said.
The French midfielder acknowledged Galatasaray's quality, adding: "We knew we were going to play against a fantastic team. They have good players. They're really a very good team. As I said, we're very proud of the performance we displayed here."
The match was officiated by Mehmet Turkmen, with Samet Ozkul and Senol Bektas as assistant referees and Cagdas Altay as the fourth official.
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