Galatasaray chases Fenerbahçe after easy win

ISTANBUL

DHA Photo

Galatasaray toppled Çaykur Rizespor 2-0 in a week 17 game at Türk Telekom Arena in Istanbul on Jan. 25, its first match of the second half of the Spor Toto Super League, continuing the club’s hot pursuit of league leaders Fenerbahçe.

Home side Galatasaray was off to a flyer in the 7th minute when “lions” central midfielder Selçuk İnan trapped the ball in the box and passed it to his teammate Wesley Sneijder, who fired home to make it 1-0.

Just before the end of the first half, Galatasaray doubled the cushion, as Portuguese wunderkind Bruma chipped the ball over Rizespor goalkeeper Serkan Kırıntılı.

With two minutes to go, the referee booked Selçuk, and he will miss the next week’s game against Bursaspor.

Meanwhile, in a tense relegation tussle, Kayseri Erciyesspor beat Kardemir Karabükspor 2-1 away from home.

Fenerbahçe’s Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt helped the Yellow Canaries defend their one point lead over Galatasaray against fellow-Istanbullites Kasımpaşaspor on Jan. 24.

Visitors Fenerbahçe took the lead in the 15th minute at Kasımpaşa's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium, when Kuyt fired outside the box and hit the target, with Brazilian midfielder Diego making the assist.

In the 24th minute of the second half, Kuyt doubled the score, with a fierce shot in the box that was enough to find the net.

In the last minute of stoppage time, away team Fenerbahçe found its third goal with attacking left back Caner Erkin.

Istanbul Başakşehir and Mersin İdmanyurdu could not escape a draw in a four-goal game, as was the case in the Akhisar Belediyespor-Eskişehirspor match-up.

Gaziantepspor put an end to the unexpected rise of Balıkesirspor at the bottom of the standings with a 1-0 home win.

In a Jan. 23 match-up, Torku Konyaspor lost 2-3 to Bursaspor at home, while Black Sea giants Trabzonspor beat Medicana Sivasspor 3-1 on the same day.