A goal from Turkish striker Barış Alper Yılmaz and two goals from Nigerian Victor Osimhen allowed Galatasaray to comfortably beat Trabzonspor and win their 19th Turkish Cup last night in the final played in Gaziantep, just a few days away from being crowned league champions for the third consecutive time if they manage to at least draw on Sunday in the clash against Kayserispor.
The first goal of the match in a packed Gaziantep Stadium came after just five minutes of play, when Yılmaz, following a mistake in the Trabzonspor defence, finished from close range after a fine pass from Yunus Akgün, making it 0-1 and sparking wild celebrations among the thousands of Lions fans.
In the 20th minute, Montenegrin defender Stefan Savić was shown a yellow card for a foul on Osimhen and reacted by confronting the referee, in a tense and surreal moment that fortunately did not escalate but was reminiscent of the aggressions suffered by Turkish referees in the league. Ten minutes later, Tufan had a golden opportunity to equalise the match when he stole the ball and found himself one-on-one with Günay Güvenç, but the Galatasaray goalkeeper made a good save to prevent disaster.
Two goals from Osimhen sealed the victory
Just after the start of the second half, Akgün was again the provider of a magnificent pass that allowed Osimhen to score his first great goal of the night, increasing the lead for the Istanbul side. The second came in the 62nd minute, when, after a quick counterattack started in the opponent’s half, the Istanbul striker once again set up Osimhen with a golden pass, and the Nigerian, alone in front of the goalkeeper, only had to finish with a right-footed shot to put the finishing touch on Galatasaray’s victory. In the 72nd minute, Anthony Nwakaeme scored for Trabzonspor, but the assistant referee flagged for offside, a decision that was later confirmed by VAR.
Both teams performed as expected and put on a great show in a thrilling cup final, but Galatasaray proved their superiority and looked more comfortable on the pitch, as their coach, Okan Buruk, emphasised in his post-match press conference: ‘They were focused on the game and were very concentrated. This victory boosts our morale ahead of the weekend. We want to win the league title this weekend in Kayseri. We want to win the league, and from now on, our most important goal is to success in the Champions League.’
The Turkish league leaders thus win their 19th Ziraat Cup, and Osimhen becomes the first foreign player to score 35 goals in all competitions in a single season in Turkey. After winning the Cup, Galatasaray is now on the verge of its 25th league title, which, barring any surprises, it will clinch on Sunday against modest Kayserispor, rounding off one of the best seasons in its history.
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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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