Beşiktaş win critical league match but lose Cenk Tosun
ISTANBUL
Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş earned a crucial 4-2 victory against Büyükşehir Belediye Erzurumspor on April 11 to extend their lead at the top of the league.
Beşiktaş returned to Istanbul with three points, but the team was saddened over an incident involving their Turkish forward Cenk Tosun, who suffered a serious knee injury in the away game.
The Black Eagles' Canadian forward Cyle Larin scored the opener in the ninth minute at the Kazım Karabekir Stadium in the eastern province of Erzurum.
Erzurumspor netted the equalizer seven minutes later. French left back Leo Schwechlen beat Beşiktaş goalie Ersin Destanoğlu with a header.
Beşiktaş took the lead again in the 26th minute as Turkish midfielder Oğuzhan Özyakup fired with his right foot in the area.
Erzurumspor's Polish goalkeeper Jakub Szumski was unable to parry Özyakup's low shot.
In the 39th minute, the home team's Turkish winger Emrah Bassan pulled level with a vicious strike outside the area, making it 2-2. Beşiktaş' Destanoğlu tried to catch the ball but fumbled it, a big mistake for the 20-year-old goalkeeper.
Beşiktaş' Algerian star Rachid Ghezzal scored a classy goal to make it 3-2 for the Black Eagles in the 66th minute. His shot outside the penalty box beat Szumski.
Near the end of the match, Turkish winger Gökhan Tore made the result 4-2 for Beşiktaş as the 29-year-old scored on a counterattack. Töre's low shot hit the far post to go inside.
Following the victory, league leaders Beşiktaş have 70 points in 32m matches.
Second-place Fenerbahce have racked up 63 points. They will host Gaziantep at Ülker Stadium on Monday.
Third-place Galatasaray have 62 points in 32 weeks.
Turkish forward Tosun faces injury trouble
Tosun, who was loaned from England's Everton in February, had to leave the pitch in the second half due to a knee injury.
Beşiktaş manager Sergen Yalçın said in a post-match conference that Tosun suffered a "serious injury and was out for the remainder of the season.
Perhaps we cannot see him on the pitch for 5-6 months."
Tosun was taken in a private plane back to Istanbul after the match. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) wished him a quick recovery.
