Başakşehir wins to continue title pursuit

ISTANBUL

Başakşehir defeated Ankaragücü 2-1 on May 12 in the Spor Toto Super League to keep its title bid dreams alive.

Despite going down 0-1 after first half, Başakşehir came back in the second half to beat its opponent with goals from Riad Bajic and Robinho.

With the victory, Başakşehir improved its points total to 66 and closed the points gap with leader Galatasaray, which won 3-2 at Rizespor on May 11.

Galatasaray will win the trophy if it wins when it hosts Başakşehir next week.

Elsewhere in the Turkish league over the weekend, Bursaspor won 1-0 at Antalyaspor to keep its hopes of avoiding relegation alive, as Göztepe was held to a 3-3 draw at home by Sivasspor and Erzurumspor lost 3-1 at Malatyaspor.

Fenerbahçe, going through its worst season ıf its history, guaranteed to be in the top flight next season with a 2-1 win against Akhisarspor, sending its rival, which will play Galatasaray in the Turkish Cup final on May 15, to the lower division.

Meanwhile, Gençlerbirliği and Denizlispor both promoted to the Super League after beating their opponents on May 12.

Denizlispor defeated Karabükspor 6-0 in front of its home crowd, while Gençlerbirliği beat Gazişehir Gaziantep 2-0 in an away match, guaranteeing to finish the First Division in the top two spots.

Gençlerbirliği has 70 points with a week left in the competition, while Denizlispor has 69 points, five better than their closest challenger Hatayspor.

The final ticket to the top flight will be determined after a playoff run to be played between the teams that finish third to sixth.