Istanbul’s big three – Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş – all managed to win on the opening day of the new 2024-2025 Turkish Super League (Süper Lig) season, although reigning champions Galatasaray had a difficult match and only managed to win in the last 10 minutes of the game.
It was the Lions who opened the season with Friday’s game at Istanbul’s Ali Sami Yen stadium, and they did so against Hatayspor, who narrowly avoided playing in the second division during the last season’s final round. The south-eastern Turkish team, who almost disappeared after losing players and coaches in the February 2023 earthquake that devastated the region, managed to take the lead early in the second half with a goal from Joelson Fernandes, despite Galatasaray clearly dominating possession and scoring chances.
It took until the final 10 minutes of the game, however, for the Istanbul side to turn the game around. The first goal came in the 80th minute when Mauro Icardi scored from a penalty that the referee had awarded when he himself was brought down on the edge of the six-yard box. With almost no time left, the players gave everything to not disappoint their fans and, just seconds before the end of the 90 minutes, Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi scored with a spectacular header to make it 2-1. Too close…
Fenerbahçe also managed to win Saturday’s match against Adana Demirspor, in a more evenly contested encounter that was ultimately decided by a solitary goal from Bosnian Edin Džeko after 34 minutes from Saint-Maximin’s pass. It is worth mentioning here that the Adana team played with a goalkeeper, Deniz Eren Dönmezer, only 15 years old! Under such conditions and without detracting from the young goalkeeper’s performance, it does not say much in favour of the Yellow Canaries that they only scored one goal in the entire match.
As for Beşiktaş, the Black Eagles sealed the match played in the city of Samsun in the first half, with a fantastic goal by Rafa Silva after 31 minutes of play, who scored after a spectacular solo run from midfield after receiving a great pass from Semih Kılıçsoy. Just five minutes later, Spanish-Brazilian Gabriel Paulista – who joined Turkish side Beşiktaş in June after a brief time at Atlético de Madrid – scored with a thunderous header to make it 0-2.
With two matches still to be played on Monday to conclude the opening round, the Turkish league is starting again but, despite the victories of Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, some shortcomings have already become apparent and will need to be corrected in the coming weeks. It is also worth mentioning the historic debut of newly promoted Eyüpspor, whose coach, former Turkish footballer Arda Turan, was sent off with a straight red card in his first game as a first division coach, and even had to be restrained by his colleagues of the coaching staff to prevent him from coming to blows with an assistant. A bad start for an Arda Turan with a long history of aggression and insults, and not just to referees.
Results of the 1st round of the Super League
GALATASARAY A.Ş. 2 – 1 ATAKAŞ HATAYSPOR
KASIMPAŞA A.Ş. 2 – 3 TÜMOSAN KONYASPOR
FENERBAHÇE A.Ş. 1 – 0 ADANA DEMİRSPOR A.Ş.
ANTALYASPOR A.Ş. 0 – 0 GÖZTEPE A.Ş.
NET GLOBAL SİVASSPOR 0 – 0 TRABZONSPOR A.Ş.
CORENDON ALANYASPOR 1 – 1 İKAS EYÜPSPOR
SAMSUNSPOR A.Ş. 0 – 2 BEŞİKTAŞ A.Ş.
ÇAYKUR RİZESPOR A.Ş. – RAMS BAŞAKŞEHİR FUTBOL KULÜBÜ
SİPAY BODRUM FK – GAZİANTEP FUTBOL KULÜBÜ A.Ş.
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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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