As Galatasaray fans were busy hanging banners in the stands, preparing their drums, and setting up fireworks, they were startled to see something unexpected. The opposing team, who should have appeared on the pitch for warm-ups half an hour later, was already on the field.
"Haha, those Spanish cowards! What are they doing here so early? Do they want to lose faster? Fools! Two hours from now, you'll be crying as you leave Istanbul!"
"Spanish idiots! Do you have no sense of time? No wonder you can't even qualify for the Champions League group stage. You don't deserve four Champions League spots!"
The stands erupted with jeers and insults. Soon, someone took the lead, and fireworks began lighting up across the stands. A deep drumbeat sounded from one corner, quickly igniting the entire stadium's atmosphere.
Sparks of fireworks flickered in every corner, creating a haze of smoke that filled the arena. Drumbeats echoed from all directions, accompanied by waves of curses and screams from every part of the stands.
The Galatasaray fans weren't entirely mindless, nor were they oblivious to the oddity of the situation. However, since the live broadcast hadn't started yet—the match was over an hour away—they saw this as an opportunity to intimidate the visiting players. The goal? To scare Mallorca's squad so much that their legs would turn to jelly, gifting an easy victory to the home team.
With forty thousand seats in Ali Sami Yen Stadium filled to capacity, the atmosphere was electric. Aside from the thousand or so Mallorca fans who had traveled for the away game, the rest were die-hard Galatasaray supporters. Facing such a sea of hostility, the Mallorca fans wisely chose to remain quiet—for now. They would wait until the match began before making any moves.
Spanish fans rarely got into trouble abroad. They tended to travel in groups, reducing the likelihood of incidents. By contrast, English fans often traveled solo, leading to conflicts. With their infamous reputation for hooliganism and drinking, English fans frequently found themselves in brawls or in police custody.
This season, the UEFA Cup had already seen tragedy when Leeds fans were killed on the streets of Istanbul, escalating tensions between English and Turkish national teams. The aftermath even led to Aston Villa releasing Alpay Özalan after his infamous provocation of Beckham in Istanbul.
Such incidents were why José decided against discouraging Mallorca fans from traveling to Istanbul. As long as they stuck together, there would be no problems. Spanish fans, known for their relatively mild temperament compared to others in Europe, wouldn't cause trouble. And indeed, everything was fine.
José stood with his arms crossed, watching the increasingly frenzied Galatasaray fans in the stands. A faint smile crept onto his face.
"Perfect. The louder they scream now, the harder their team will fall later. With this extra time to acclimate, our guys should be immune to the crowd's pressure."
This "fight fire with fire" strategy was proving effective.
At the start of warm-ups, Mallorca's players had been startled by the wild atmosphere. After all, this was just the warm-up—how crazy would the crowd be during the actual match? The unease even affected their initial performance. But with an extra half hour for warm-ups, the players had ample time to adjust. Under the guidance of five or six assistant coaches, they meticulously loosened every joint and muscle, focusing on preparation rather than the hostile fans in the stands.
"I think you're ready now," José said, pacing the locker room. His players, now calm and composed, nodded firmly in agreement.
"Good. That's how it should be. No matter how loud the fans scream, they can't step onto the pitch and play. We don't have to worry about facing 39,011 opponents with our 11. Even if our thousand traveling fans are outnumbered, the match remains eleven versus eleven. Remember, those thousand brave Mallorca fans crossed land and sea to support us here in Turkey. This is our chance to repay them! The league may not have gone our way this season, but the UEFA Cup is our way to show our gratitude. Galatasaray has no right to stop us. They're not on our level!"
José opened his arms wide before clapping them together with a sharp motion. "Now go out there, hold off their attack, and seize every chance to—"
"Crush them!"
"Crush them!" the players echoed loudly. Led by captain N'Gonga, they stormed out of the locker room with determination.
Fatih Terim watched the match unfold with a deep frown.
Known as "The Emperor," Terim was Turkey's greatest coach. From 1993 to 1996, he led the national team to their first European Championship final tournament and then took charge of Galatasaray. Now in his fourth season, he had cemented the team as Turkish league champions and a force in Europe. His success stemmed not only from his fiery temperament and discipline but also from his tactical acumen.
Terim valued preparation and had managed to obtain recordings of Mallorca's last two UEFA Cup matches despite limited resources. From those games, he concluded that Mallorca was an offensively aggressive team with strong coordination between their forwards and wingers. However, their defensive transitions were shaky, conceding three goals despite scoring six against Monaco over two legs.
Such an opponent didn't worry Terim. Galatasaray, with their own offensive prowess, thrived in attack-heavy matches. If Mallorca dared to engage in a shootout, Galatasaray, with their passionate home support, would triumph.
But what Terim hadn't anticipated was the atypical Mallorca he now faced.
In their home leg against Monaco, José had set a trap, luring Monaco into ceding midfield control before launching relentless counterattacks. In the return leg, José exploited Monaco's psychological vulnerabilities, scoring early to seal the tie.
Now, Galatasaray was experiencing the same shock. From the kickoff, they unleashed a fierce offensive, pinning Mallorca in their half. But Mallorca responded with a compact, impenetrable defense. Nino shadowed Hakan Şükür, Soler and N'Gonga neutralized Gheorghe Hagi, and Olaizola locked down Okan's wing. The defense was rock solid.
"Is this team really that strong defensively?" Terim pondered. "Or are they just afraid of our home advantage and aiming to decide the tie in the second leg?"
As he wrestled with these questions, the match pressed on—a battle of strategy and willpower.