Galatasaray wins to take back top spot in Turkish league
ISTANBUL
Galatasaray defeated Başakşehir 2-0 on April 15 evening at Istanbul’s Türk Telekom Stadium to reclaim the top spot in the Spor Toto Super League standings.
Brazilian Mariano Ferreira Filho broke the deadlock at 60th minute, when he went out on attack and cut inside through the right flank to shoot an outstanding curved ball, leaving Başakşehir goalkeeper Volkan Babacan in desperation.Galatasaray controlled the tempo and stopped Başakşehir attacks throughout the game and was awarded with another goal in extra time when defender Serdar Aziz’s header was deflected by Emmanuel Adebayor and misguided the goalkeeper.
The win took Galatasaray back to the top spot with 60 points, one ahead of Beşiktaş, which won 3-0 at Akhisarspor over the weekend.
Başakşehir remained at 59 points and dropped down to the third spot, trailed by Fenerbahçe, which won 2-1 at Sivasspor on April 14.Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim sang the praises of his players after the game.
“We had no luxury [to lose this game] but our opponent did,” Terim said at a post-game press conference.
“Even a draw could swing us away [from the title race]. We fought for it; there was a Galatasaray on the pitch that played with full concentration from the kick-off until the final whistle. I congratulate my players,” he said. When asked about his side’s upcoming fixture, which many pundits say is tougher than that of its opponents,
Terim underlined the need to play well.“Our coming games are tough compared to others’ games, but when you play like this, the word ‘tough’ does not mean anything, but if we play like we did against Gençlerbirliği, every game is difficult,” he said, recalling Galatasaray’s 1-0 loss against struggling Gençlerbirliği the previous week.
“We are happy to have given such a beautiful gift to our supporters. Allah gave us one more chance, he said: ‘You have five more games, you are the leader, take it to the end,’” Terim said.
The fight against relegation also continued in Week 29 games. Gençlerbirliği lost 3-2 at Kayserispor, while Konyaspor and Antalyaspor shared the spoils in a goalless draw in the Mediterranean resort city.
Bursaspor, meanwhile, slipped further in the standings despite changing coach mid-week, losing 2-1 at Göztepe on April 15.Alanyaspor grabbed a hard-fought point at Malatyaspor in a 1-1 draw on April 14, while Karabükspor, already relegated from the top division, losing 2-0 in Istanbul against Kasımpaşaspor.
