On a night dominated from start to finish by Galatasaray, the red-and-yellow side closed out the first round of the Turkish Super League with an emphatic 3-0 home win over Kasımpaşa in a match at Istanbul’s RAMS Park stadium on Sunday night, that saw the Lions reaffirm their position as the competition’s undisputed leaders ahead of the winter break.
The first goal of the night came early on, barely 9 minutes in, and was scored by Yunus Akgün. Barış Alper Yılmaz made a spectacular run down the left flank that culminated in a run into the box and a pass to Akgün, who controlled the ball for a left-footed diagonal cross towards the far post that proved unstoppable despite the best efforts of Greek goalkeeper Andreas Gianniotis.
It was a goal that unleashed euphoria and a real party in the stands as the home fans enjoyed their team’s absolute domination. The statistics were overwhelming: 78% ball possession for Galatasaray throughout the match and 24 shots – including 9 shots on goal – compared to 0 for Kasımpaşa. Okan Buruk‘s side monopolised possession and generated a number of scoring opportunities with quick combinations down the flanks and runs into the box, while the team from the Istanbul district of Beyoğlu tried to reorganise and contain their opponents’ onslaught as best they could, but rarely managed to get a dangerous foothold in Galatasaray’s half.
Even so, it would take until the closing stages of the second half to see the remaining goals of the match. Seconds into the 81st minute, Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara, receiving a pass from Akgün in the box after a tremendous mistake by the Kasımpaşa’s defence, got free from up to three Kasımpaşa players to fire a right-footed shot from the edge of the box: the ball flew high and wide leaving Gianniotis stunned, still in disbelief.
All-time record for Argentina’s Mauro Icardi
The clincher would come in the 87th minute when Mauro Icardi put the final 3-0 on the scoreboard with a shot in the box after a poor kick from the opposing goalkeeper, evidencing the chaos that reigned in the Kasımpaşa ranks against a Galatasaray side that never stopped showing on the pitch who had all the aces up their sleeve. Just a minute earlier, Barış Yılmaz had another goal in his hands when his header from a corner came back off the crossbar.
The Argentinian striker‘s goal also took his tally to 60 goals in a Galatasaray shirt, breaking the record for the most goals scored by a foreign player in the Lions‘ history, previously held by former Romanian footballer and coach Gheorghe Hagi.
The win not only reinforces Galatasaray’s status as favourite for the league title, but also underlines its attacking efficiency and solidity as a team, qualities that have characterised Buruk’s team so far. The Galatasaray thus closes the first half of the season at the top of the table with 42 points, three more than Fenerbahçe, who also beat Eyüpspor 3-0 away from home on Saturday.
Results of the 17th round of the Super League
KOCAELİSPOR 2 – 1 HESAP.COM ANTALYASPOR
TÜMOSAN KONYASPOR 1 – 1 ZECORNER KAYSERİSPOR
İKAS EYÜPSPOR 0 – 3 FENERBAHÇE A.Ş.
BEŞİKTAŞ A.Ş. 1 – 0 ÇAYKUR RİZESPOR A.Ş.
CORENDON ALANYASPOR 2 – 0 MISIRLI.COM.TR FATİH KARAGÜMRÜK
GÖZTEPE A.Ş. 2 – 0 SAMSUNSPOR A.Ş.
GALATASARAY A.Ş. 3 – 0 KASIMPAŞA A.Ş.
RAMS BAŞAKŞEHİR FUTBOL KULÜBÜ – GAZİANTEP FUTBOL KULÜBÜ A.Ş.
GENÇLERBİRLİĞİ – TRABZONSPOR A.Ş.
Turkish league: standings
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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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