Lukas Podolski has praised the Arsenal team’s mentality and focus after their 4-1 victory at Galatasaray on Tuesday night.
The Germany international scored twice against the Turkish champions, with Aaron Ramsey also claiming a brace in their final Group D clash.
Podolski was pleased that the Gunners were able to deliver a strong response after their defeat at Stoke City on Saturday.
"You could see the mentality of the team in the first half was very good and the performance was as well"
“We came here and left some players at home but you could see the mentality of the team in the first half was very good and the performance was as well,” he told Arsenal Player.
“Of course we are very happy, we won away in Turkey against a good team. It is always difficult to play in Turkey, with the atmosphere and the fans, but we did it well and we won 4-1, which is good.
“I had the chance to play today and I always want to score, give assists and play well. For me it was important to play 90 minutes and keep going. It is not always easy to come in and do well so it was good for me to do that.”
Podolski also praised youngsters Gedion Zelalem, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Stefan O’Connor after they made their Champions League debuts.
“It was important for them,” he said. “You don’t often have the chance to play as an 18 or 19-year-old in the Champions League and it was good for them.
“They came on in the second half, they did well and they should be very proud and happy to play in the Champions League.”
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
