Galatasaray secured a narrow 0–1 victory over Gençlerbirliği on Saturday in the match played at the Eryaman Stadium in Ankara, in a fixture for the eighth round of the Turkish Süper Lig. A goal from Deniz Gül in the closing minutes allowed Okan Buruk’s side to pick up three vital points to stay top of the table.
Despite dominating possession, the Istanbul side struggled to find space against opponents who also created good chances. Galatasaray started in search of a goal and created one of their first chances just two minutes into the game, when Gabriel Sara tried his luck from outside the box with a shot that was saved by the home goalkeeper, İrfan Can Eğribayat.
However, Gençlerbirliği also showed they were capable of causing damage. In the 36th minute, Salih Uçan came close to putting the capital side ahead after capitalising on a loose ball inside the box. His shot was deflected by Uğurcan Çakır and ended up crashing against the post before going out for a corner.
The Ankara side threatened the Lions’ goal once again just a minute later, when Thalisson headed a cross from the Portuguese player Rafael Luís following a corner kick: but his effort went narrowly wide.
Galatasaray responded in turn with a chance for Victor Osimhen in the 39th minute. The Nigerian striker headed a cross from Leroy Sané, but Eğribayat managed to save the ball. Just before half-time, Sané also had a great chance to score for Okan Buruk’s side after receiving a cross from Osimhen, but his shot missed the target.
Deniz Gül decided the match in the 88th minute
The second half remained a tight affair and was full of chances for both sides. In the 52nd minute, after Gençlerbirliği won the ball back, Tiago Gouveia squandered a clear chance to put the Ankara side ahead by firing over the bar from close range.
Galatasaray, for their part, kept pushing for a goal and came close to scoring in the 60th minute, when Osimhen met a corner with a powerful header, forcing the home goalkeeper to make a spectacular save to tip the ball away and prevent the goal.
Gençlerbirliği’s resistance, however, came to an end in the 88th minute. Deniz Gül received the ball near the box from the right flank and, after cutting inside a few metres, fired at goal; Eğribayat was unable to fully block the shot and the ball ended up rebounding off the goalkeeper and into the back of the net, making it 0–1.
Galatasaray are already looking ahead to the derby against Fenerbahçe
The referee added four minutes of stoppage time to the match, but it was not enough for Gençlerbirliği to secure a draw. The goal allowed Galatasaray to secure a particularly hard-fought victory in a match that ended up becoming an uphill struggle as the minutes ticked by and they failed to find the net.
The match also marked Buruk’s 150th game in charge of Galatasaray in the Turkish league. With this win, Galatasaray move up to 19 points and retain top spot, whilst Gençlerbirliği remain in 14th place with just eight points. The result strengthens Galatasaray’s position at the top of the table ahead of one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures of the season: the derby against Fenerbahçe, scheduled for the next matchday.
Fenerbahce thrash Alanyaspor and close in on the top spot
Indeed, Fenerbahçe also achieved their objective on matchday eight by beating Corendon Alanyaspor 3–0 at home, displaying a much more effective performance than their opponents in the next fixture. The side managed by İsmail Kartal sealed the victory with three goals spread between the closing minutes of the first half and the final stages of the match.
Mason Greenwood squandered the chance to open the scoring by missing a penalty in the 17th minute; Kahveci pounced on the goalkeeper’s save to slot the ball over the line, but the goal was ruled out by VAR.
It was ultimately Romelu Lukaku who opened the scoring in the 40th minute, finishing from close range to score his first goal in the Istanbul side’s colours. Early in the second half, VAR once again ruled out another Fenerbahçe goal scored in the opening moments of the second half; and another goal by Kahveci in the 51st minute was also ruled out for offside.
Finally, Kerem Aktürkoğlu extended the lead in the 71st minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, whilst Vedat Muriqi sealed the victory by scoring the final goal to make it 3–0 in the 87th minute, after a tussle with the defence in the six-yard box. With this victory, Fenerbahçe have reached 16 points and sit in 3rd place, just three points behind Galatasaray, who are already preparing for a derby that could prove decisive in the title race.
Results of the 8th round of the Super League
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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