Galatasaray wins Süper Lig, edges rival Fenerbahçe on final day
ISTANBUL
Galatasaray fans were in seventh heaven on May 27 after their team clinched the Turkish Süper Lig title, edging city rival Fenerbahçe with a record total of 102 points.
Galatasaray needed just a point in its final game at Konyaspor on May 26 night and won 3-1 with talismanic striker Mauro Icardi scoring twice to raise his league-leading total to 25. Berkan Kutlu added another in the 53rd minute.
Fenerbahçe won 6-0 at home to last-place Istanbulspor to finish three points back at 99, the second-highest tally ever for a 38-game season in the league.
"All season, we tried to fight in a way worthy of the Galatasaray community,” Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk told the media after the match.
“Another trophy, 24th title. The targets do not end. God willing, our goal now is the fifth star," he added, referring to the fact that the clubs can use one star on their logo for every fifth Turkish league title.
Buruk thanked the club fans for their support.
“Last season we had one loss at home, this year we had one again,” he said.
“Our home performance was very valuable in that sense. We put up an incredible fight together with our fans.”
All cities across country saw Galatasaray supporters celebrating on the streets until the morning hours of May 27, with the team meeting fans at its facilities in Istanbul’s Florya neighborhood around 3 a.m.
Icardi led the celebrations in Florya.
“We broke records and became champions, that was an answer to all critics,” he said.
“Apart from football, we had to deal with many factors during the season. The Fenerbahçe president [Ali Koç] said some words about our club and our vice president. They used every opportunity to say bad things about us. We proved ourselves on the field,” added the Argentine star, who wore a Galatasaray jersey with Ali Koç’s name on the back during the celebrations.
He also praised the club supporters.
“We won the championship two years in a row, with the support of the biggest fan base in Turkey,” he said.
“We are very happy to have made them champions for the second time in a row.”
Fenerbahçe now has been league runner-up six times since its last title in 2014. The team ended 32 points ahead of third-place Trabzonspor.
Galatasaray will enter the Champions League in the qualifying playoffs round in August, needing to beat one opponent to advance to the expanded 36-team league phase.
Fenerbahçe goes into the second qualifying round starting in July needing to beat three opponents.
Fenerbahçe coach İsmail Kartal again blamed off-the-pitch factors for the result.
“We couldn't overcome the invisible hands off the field,” he told a post-match press conference.
“Ninety-nine points and 99 goals this season, these deserved points will not be forgotten by the Fenerbahçe community. My players showed with their applause that they are the real champions. Everybody saw that we are the champions of the hearts.”
Meanwhile, Ankaragücü lost 4-2 at Trabzonspor and became the last team to relegate following May 26’s results. The club from the capital will join Istanbulspor, Pendikspor and Karagümrük in the First Division next season.
