Galatasaray wins 20th Turkish title as seven-man Fenerbahçe draw

ISTANBUL - Agence France-Presse

With tempers fraying against Başakşehir, four Fenerbahçe players were sent off in the last 10 minutes - Mehmet Topuz, Bruno Alves of Portugal, Caner Erkin (C) and Webo.

Galatasaray was crowned champion of Turkey’s top flight Spor Toto Super League for a record 20th time on May 25, after perennial Istanbul rival Fenerbahçe had four men sent off in a 2-2 draw at Istanbul Başakşehir.
  
With one round of games remaining, Fenerbahçe needed nothing less than a win against Başakşehir, a fast-growing Istanbul side, to keep any title hopes alive.
  
But two goals from Mehmet Batdal within 10 minutes in the second half were hammer blows to Fenerbahçe’s lingering hopes.
  
Diego of Brazil struck back for Fenerbahçe after 80 minutes and Pierre Webo of Cameroon added another on 88 minutes, leading to frantic closing minutes as Fenerbahçe looked for a winner.
  
With tempers fraying, four Fenerbahçe players were sent off in the last 10 minutes - Mehmet Topuz, Bruno Alves of Portugal, Caner Erkin and Webo - leaving the visiting side with just seven players on the field.
  
The result left Galatasaray with an unassailable five-point lead at the top of the table and also earning Turkey’s automatic Champions League spot for next season.
  
Fenerbahçe will finish second and the third team of Istanbul, Beşiktaş, in third place irrespective of the results in next weekeend’s matches.
  
Galatasaray’s victory means the team has now won a record 20 titles, one more than Fenerbahçe on 19.
  
Under Turkish tradition, Galatasaray will now be the first in Turkish football history to wear four stars on team shirts. A Turkish team is awarded a star for every five championship victories.