By Ercan Cakar

ISTANBUL

Galatasaray were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League after drawing 1-1 and losing out on a 3-1 aggregate to Swedish newcomers Ostersunds late Thursday.

The match in Galatasaray's home turf Turk Telekom Stadium saw disappointed Turkish fans hoping their team to make a comeback after last week's first-leg match at Jamtkraft Arena, where they were defeated 2-0.

However, it did not turn out to be as the first half finished goalless, giving the Istanbul side less hope to advance to the next round in the early new season of UEFA's Europa League campaign.

The fans' hearts were broken at 60th minute, when Ostersund's Nouri smashed a penalty kick right down to the middle, giving his team a 3-0 aggregate lead.

Galatasaray defender Ahmet Calik quickly responded at 69th minute, but it was too late for the Lions as they were eliminated from UEFA Europa League at second qualifying round stage, the earliest ever in their history.

The fans were torn up after the loss, a group of them chanted slogans and invited chairman Dursun Ozbek and manager Igor Tudor to resign. The fans also rushed to the social media upon the elimination, continuously tweeting for the club officials to resign.

The team went through major personnel changes this summer, parting ways with Lukas Podolski, Wesley Sneijder, Semih Kaya, and Sabri Sarioglu.

The Istanbul side had added striker Batefimbi Gomis, defender Maicon, and attacking midfielder Younes Belhanda and right-back Mariano to their squad.

Ostersund, which was founded in 1996, managed to pull out a massive European upset against Galatasaray, much like Norway's Tromso in September 2005 when they also eliminated the Istanbul side after a 2-1 aggregate.