Beşiktaş comes from behind to win derby

ISTANBUL

Ten-man Beşiktaş came from one goal behind to beat Fenerbahçe 4-2 in an Istanbul derby on April 2 night to cut the gap with its rival in the Turkish Süper Lig.

Fenerbahçe made a good start to the game, and Enner Valencia put the home side in the lead by successfully converting a penalty shot in the 41st minute.

The second half, however, was a different story, and the turning point of the game came in the 53rd minute when Valencia missed a penalty shot, two minutes after Beşiktaş defender Welinton was sent off.

Beşiktaş striker Cenk Tosun scored back-to-back goals in the 58th and 62nd minutes, while Nathan Redmond, who came on the pitch in the second half, added another in the 75th.

Vincent Aboubakar scored Beşiktaş’s fourth goal in the 91st minute, with the Fenerbahçe fans in the stands applauding Beşiktaş.

İrfan Kahveci pulled one back in the 95th minute, but the goal was met by the supporters with more boos than praise.

Club president Ali Koç also received his share pf protests, with the fans chanting calls for resignation.

Valencia said his team lost concentration after the missed penalty.

“We knew the importance of winning the match, unfortunately it didn’t work out the way we wanted,” he said.

“It was very important for us on the road to the championship, and now things are more difficult for us. But there are still a lot of games left and we are Fenerbahçe, so we have to fight until the end.”

Beşiktaş coach Şenol Güneş was happy with the result.

“We showed the right attitude and got a deserved win,” he said.

“We tried to play compact. Even if we don’t get the result, it is necessary to go in the right direction. If we keep doing these things, it will be better for Beşiktaş.”

Güneş said Beşiktaş will do its best in the rest of the season.

“It’s good to have competition, I liked that the audience applauded us today,” he said.

“The competition will continue, no one should put themselves in the leading role. The leading role belongs to those who play well, those who use their talent correctly.”

The experienced coach, however, sees Galatasaray as the Süper Lig title favorite.

“Looking at the result of this match, Galatasaray seems to have benefited the most from this result,” he said.

Galatasaray extended its lead in the Süper Lig, thanks to a 2-0 win over Adana Demirspor on April 1.

In April 1’s other Süper Lig matches, Kayserispor won 4-3 at Trabzonspor and Başakşehir beat visiting Ankaragücü 1-0.

Two games ended in 2-2 draws on April 2, when Giresunspor hosted Alanyaspor and Konyaspor visited Ümraniye.