Beşiktaş rejoins title race with 3-0 Kasımpaşa win in rematch

ISTANBUL

Beşiktaş cut the gap with leader Fenerbahçe to five points and is now third with 40 points, just one point behind Galatasaray. AA photo

Beşiktaş have rejoined the title race, thanks to a commanding 3-0 victory over Kasımpaşa in a Spor Toto Super League replay game on Feb. 10.

First half goals from Hugo Almeida, Pedro Franco and Veli Kavlak decided the score for Beşiktaş, who is now in third spot with 39 points. Even being reduced to 10 men after a red card to defender Serdar Kurtuluş early in the second half could not stop Beşiktaş, who hung on to its lead to get its second league win in a space of four days. 

With a 2-1 win over Gaziantepspor over the weekend, Beşiktaş thus enjoyed a rare six-point week, and cut the gap with leader Fenerbahçe to five points. Galatasaray is second with 40 points. 

Fenerbahçe’s back-to-back away defeats at Eskişehirspor and Sivasspor have blown the title race wide open, after the Yellow Canaries had reached the season’s halfway mark 10 points ahead of its nearest rival. 

The Kasımpaşa vs. Beşiktaş game was postponed after the original Dec. 15, 2013 fixture was marred by a couple of incidents. First, Kasımpaşa defender Ryan Donk threw a second ball to interrupt a goal chance while Almeida was in the box, with Beşiktaş leading 1-0. 

A fan invaded the pitch to attack Beşiktaş midfielder Manuel Fernandes in the last minutes of the game. Hugo Almeida and Ramon Motta then attacked the fan and were both sent off. By that point, Kasımpaşa had rallied to take a 2-1 lead. 

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) then ruled for a replay upon Beşiktaş’s request.