Trabzon jubilant as rivals share points in Istanbul derby

TRABZON / ISTANBUL

Trabzonspor has remained comfortable at the top in the Turkish Süper Lig table after a win against Hatayspor as Galatasaray saved 1 point with a late goal against Başakşehir and two powerhouses, while Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş shared points in a draw in Istanbul derby.

Trabzonspor beat Hatayspor 2-0 on Dec. 18, collecting 42 points in 17th week of the Süper Lig.

The Black Sea representative is nine points ahead of runner-up İttifak Holding Konyaspor, who defeated Fraport TAV Antalyaspor 1-0 on Dec. 18.

Galatasaray extended a winless run to six matches as the Lions salvaged one point with a late goal over Başakşehir.

With a 1-1 draw, Başakşehir stayed at third place in the Süper Lig with 29 points.

Galatasaray, who is in the 11th row out of 20 teams with 24 points, accused the match’s referee of insulting the players with an evil tongue. The Turkish Football Federation announced on Dec. 19 that the voice recordings of the referee will be analyzed.

All eyes were at Istanbul derby between Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş on Dec. 19. Mesut Özil and Mergim Berisha scored for Fenerbahçe as Beşiktaş’ Josef de Souza scored twice at Istanbul’s Ülker Stadium.

After the 2-2 draw, Fenerbahçe, the Yellow Canaries, sat in the fifth spot with 28 points, while Beşiktaş collected 25 points to sit in the ninth place.

Fenerbahçe fans protested the administration for point loss at home and called Ali Koç, the president of the club, to resign. The Portuguese coach of the Yellow Canaries, Vitor Pereira, said the protests were normal but “the president did not deserve such a reaction.”

“We did everything to win. We will continue to fight. When things go wrong, these reactions are normal. This is football; sometimes things do not go as planned,” Pereira said.

Beşiktaş side blamed the point loss on the referee.