Galatasaray comfortably beat Fenerbahçe in Sunday’s tense derby in the Turkish Super League, securing a 3-0 victory that could prove decisive in the race for the league title by extending the lead over Okan Buruk’s side’s main rivals with just three matches remaining in the season.
The Lions dominated the match played at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul, not only controlling possession but also creating far more moves and goal-scoring opportunities than Fenerbahçe. The deadlock was broken towards the end of the first half with a goal in the 40th minute by Victor Osimhen, who finished with his thigh in the six-yard box after controlling the ball with his head following a cross from the right flank.
The dispute with the referee that led to Ederson Moraes’s sending-off
Early in the second half, Torreira scored a superb goal in the 55th minute after receiving a pass in the box; however, following a review, VAR eventually ruled it out for offside. By then, Galatasaray were already dominating the match, and the final blow for Fenerbahçe came when in the 59th minute the referee awarded a penalty after Yunus went down in the box whilst driving forward with the ball.
The Fenerbahçe players protested the decision, claiming it had been a blatant “dive” by the Turkish striker. Tensions were mounting and Ederson Moraes, who had already had a heated exchange with the referee in the 22nd minute, confronted the referee once again, acting defiantly in the face of his demands to step back and return to his position in goal
At one point, the referee interpreted a gesture by the Brazilian goalkeeper as a snub and showed him his second yellow card, leaving the Yellow Canaries without a goalkeeper in the 61st minute with half an hour to go and the score against them, in what was undoubtedly the most controversial refereeing decision of the derby.
The altercation continued for several minutes as Ederson initially refused to leave the pitch, eventually being replaced by Mert Günok between the posts. After a seven-minute delay, Barış Alper Yılmaz was finally tasked with taking the penalty, scoring with ease by sending Günok the wrong way.
A terrible mistake by Günok allowed Torreira to make it 3-0
After the second goal, Galatasaray tried to slow the pace of the game, capitalising on their numerical superiority and control of the ball to prevent Domenico Tedesco’s side from gaining possession and threatening the score.
Even so, Galatasaray continued to create scoring opportunities and the pressure on the opposition’s goal was finally rewarded in the 82nd minute, when, following a corner, an unforgivable error by Günok whilst saving the ball caused him to stumble and lose it; a quick-thinking Torreira took advantage to collect it and shoot at goal practically from the penalty spot, thus establishing the final 3-0 scoreline.
Sidiki Cherif had a chance later on for Fenerbahçe in added time but, with no support from his teammates – who were already physically exhausted – he was left isolated and his shot went well over the bar.
The result in Istanbul is a devastating blow for Fenerbahçe, who emerge humiliated from a derby in which they put in a poor team performance and lose three invaluable points to their direct rivals for the league title, Galatasaray, who are now seven points clear with a total of 74. Things will have to change drastically between now and the end of the season if we are not to see Galatasaray crowned champions of the Turkish Süper Lig for the fourth consecutive year.
Match stats
| GALATASARAY | FENERBAHÇE | |
|---|---|---|
| Total shots | 16 | 7 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 3 |
| Possession | 58% | 42% |
| Fouls | 9 | 10 |
| Yellow cards | 5 | 5 |
| Red cards | 0 | 1 |
| Offsides | 3 | 2 |
| Corners | 6 | 4 |
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
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.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
