Fenerbahçe downs Beşiktaş in crucial Istanbul derby: 3-1

ISTANBUL-Anadolu Agency

Fenerbahçe beat Beşiktaş 3-1 in an Istanbul derby match on Dec. 22 to cling to the title race in Süper Lig led by Sivasspor.

At Ülker Stadium in Istanbul, Turkish football powerhouses Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş met a vital Turkish Super Lig derby in a Week 16 match.

The opening goal came by Fenerbahçe's Max Kruse in the 23rd minute with a penalty shot and Ozan Tufan scored the second goal for his team in the 32nd minute while Beşiktaş' Atiba Hutchinson responded in the last minute of the first half to keep their hope alive in the second half.

Vedat Muriqi scored the third goal for Fenerbahçe in the 58th minute to dash Beşiktaş' hopes for win.

Fenerbahçe moved up the third spot with 28 points while Beşiktaş moved down to the fourth spot with 27 points.

Demir Grup Sivasspor grabbed a point with an extra-time goal to draw 2-2 with Gençlerbirliği in Dec. 22's match to ensure to end 2019 at the top of the table in Turkish Süper Lig.

This season, an underdog team tops the division, which is a rare occasion for the Super Lig.

The club from central Anatolia, Demir Grup Sivasspor are now on top of the league with 34 points.

The leader Sivasspor increased the gap with the defending champs to 10 points.

Reigning champs Galatasaray fell away in the title race of the Turkish football league after losing against Göztepe on Dec. 21. Following this result, Galatasaray remained in the sixth spot with 24 points.

Medipol Başakşehir from Istanbul are currently in the second spot as they have 30 points. Trabzonspor from Black Sea region bagged 26 points in 15 weeks.

Here are the results in the week 16 so far.

Antalyaspor - Ankaragücü: 2-2

BtcTurk Yeni Malatyaspor - Ç. Rizespor: 0-2

Kasımpaşa - Gaziantep FK: 3-4

Göztepe - Galatasaray: 2-1

Demir Grup Sivasspor - Gençlerbirliği: 2-2

IM Kayserispor - M. Başakşehir: 1-4

Fenerbahçe - Beşiktaş: 3-1