Chris Kane is adamant St Johnstone proved they can mix it with European royalty after a gutsy showing against ‘world class’ Galatasaray.
The tie was tantalisingly poised at 2-2 on aggregate following 150 minutes of football between the Perth Saints and the 22-time champions of Turkey.
However, goals from Kerem Akturkoglu, Sofiane Feghouli and Emre Kilinc in the final 30 minutes saw the giants of Istanbul prevail on a raucous night at a sold-out McDiarmid Park.
But the tireless Kane reckons St Johnstone illustrated that they belong with the big boys — rippling the net three times over the two legs — and will be ready for their Europa Conference League playoff showdown with LASK.
“All the boys put in a hell of a shift and I’m proud of them all, from the starters to the substitutes,” Kane told BBC Scotland.
“They [Galatasaray] are a world class side. You can see that in their play and their touches. Nobody thought we would score three goals over two legs against Galatasaray.
“But we played really well too and all the boys are gutted after the amount of work and effort we put into it.
“What have we taken from these games? That we are a right good side and we can put ourselves up against the best. On our day, we can score goals against anyone and defend brilliantly.
“Everything we have taken from the two legs is positive and we’ll give it a right good go in the next tie.”
McCann hails fans after sell-out
Perhaps more than any other player over the two legs against Galatasaray, Ali McCann emerged with his reputation enhanced.
One suspects chairman Steve Brown will be fielding enquiries about his midfield maestro before the summer transfer window closes.
And the Northern Ireland internationalist said: “It just shows how far this team has come that we feel disappointed to go out against Galatasaray.
“We have a brilliant blend of youth and experience and, after coming away with the draw from Turkey and putting in so much effort at home, hopefully there is even more to come.”
He added: “This is the first time I’ve played in front of such a good crowd and you can’t beat it. It makes it all worthwhile and hopefully everyone had a great day out even though we couldn’t get through.”
