Başakşehir, Beşiktaş remain unbeaten in Turkish league

ISTANBUL

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Spor Toto Super League leader Başakşehir, and its closest rival Beşiktaş, remained unbeaten after their Week 8 matches on Oct. 23, as Galatasaray suffered its first league defeat.

Başakşehir won 2-0 at Karabükspor away, while defending champion Beşiktaş beat visiting Antalyaspor 3-0. 
Galatasaray, meanwhile, lost 1-0 at home to struggling Trabzonspor on Oct. 22.

Both Başakşehir and Beşiktaş now both have six wins and two draws, with only goal difference separating the teams at 20 points. Galatasaray is third with 17 points, followed by Bursaspor in fourth on 16 points after a 2-0 win at Aytemiz Alanyaspor, and Karabükspor in fifth on 12 points.

At the Vodafone Arena, Beşiktaş struggled to display its usual attacking form in the first half, and just as it appeared the teams would head to the dressing rooms without a goal, Vincent Aboubakar, who was the team’s hero in the mid-week Champions League victory at Napoli, put his team into the lead with a shot from outside the box. It was his first league goal of the season. 

Anderson Talisca took center stage in the second half and struck twice to secure a 3-0 victory for Beşiktaş.
The loss left Alanyaspor at the bottom of the standings, with only three points in eight games still waiting for the season’s first victory.

“After our Champions League match, we knew it was going to be a difficult game for us,” Beşiktaş coach Şenol Güneş said after the game.

“We had concentration problems throughout the first half but recovered and scored well-organized goals in the second,” he added.

A big blow for Beşiktaş was losing winger Caner Erkin, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon, to a long-time injury. Erkin, who joined the club from Fenerbahçe at the beginning of this season, underwent surgery on Oct. 24 and is expected to be out of action for at least five months.

“Losing Caner Erkin to injury is the only sad part, but others will replace him. All in all, we are on the right track,” Güneş said.

Also on Oct. 23, Osmanlıspor suffered its first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to Kasımpaşa at home.
Fenerbahçe was due to play the week’s final game at Konyaspor late on Oct. 24.