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By Thomas Grove
ISTANBUL, Sept 12 - Girondins Bordeaux held out
for a 0-0 draw away to Galatasaray in their opening Champions
League Group C match on Tuesday.
The Turkish side, lacklustre in the first half, exerted
greater pressure after the interval with an attack led by Necati
Ates, forcing the French team into some stubborn defending.
Bordeaux aimed to exploit Galatasaray on the counter-attack
and midfielder Johan Micoud sent a shot just wide of Farid
Mondragon's right post.
Galatasaray's Sabri Sarioglu and Necati went close with
shots in the final minutes.
The other teams in the group, 2005 European Cup winners
Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven, also drew 0-0, the only Champions
League matches which failed to produce goals on the night.
"We knew we were playing against a team which is very
compact and does not give much away. Despite this we still found
opPortunities towards the end and we could have won,"
Galatasaray coach Erik Gerets said.
"We always prepare the team to win," said Bordeaux coach
Ricardo. "But to get a point was a good thing because we had
some absences. It is quite a good result this evening."
LATE CHANCES
Galatasaray, the UEFA Cup winners in 2000 who were without
veteran striker Hakan Sukur due to illness, were in control for
much of the second half without prising the Bordeaux defence
apart until the final minutes of the game.
With 10 minutes remaining midfielder Arda Turan appealed for
a penalty when he came down under a challenge in the area but
the referee waved away his claim to the frustration of the home
fans.
Sabri went close but volleyed over the middle of Ulrich
Rame's goal in the 86th. Three minutes later Necati fired just
wide of Rame's right post with his third shot of the night.
The Girondins, second to Olympique Lyon in Ligue 1 last
season, were returning to the Champions League after a six-year
absence.
Tuesday's match marked a return for Galatasaray to the
Ataturk Olympic Stadium, scene of Liverpool's 2005 triumph, but
despite a sell-out crowd of 65,000, many fans missed much of the
match amid gridlock on access roads.