Galatasaray unable to break spell at archrival Fenerbahçe’s turf

ISTANBUL

Galatasaray once again failed to declare victory at its archrival Fenerbahçe’s Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium, being held by a 1-1 draw in a Turkish Super League derby late on April 14. Its last ever victory at the rival’s turf was in 1999, having never won a single game since then.

But Fenerbahçe coach Ersun Yenal was still upset even though his side made a pleasant return as it grapples to stay in the league at 14th place and despite overcoming the hardships of being reduced to 10 men in the derby.

“No one should think that we are happy with the draw,” he said in a post-game interview.

“We are Fenerbahçe and we always seek a win.”

Still, he said that the points that Galatarasary lost might cost them the league title, he said.

Neither team was able to score in the first half of the match played one day after league leader Başakşehir saw its points drop at third-spot Beşiktaş’s Vodafone Park.

Fenerbahçe defender Hasan Ali Kaldırım received a red card at the 45th minute and the home team finished the game with 10 men.

Galatasaray could not turn this advantage to beat the home team to get closer to the top of the league.

The visitor scored the first goal with Henry Onyekuru’s header at the 66th minute, while Fenerbahçe’s Eljif Elmas equalized the score at 71st minute.

“This was a very special goal for me,” said Elmas, referring to the importance attached by the fans to goals scored against Galatasaray.

Thus, the Lions, which have not beaten Fener away for the past 19 years, improved the minutes that it lead a game to a mere 18 minutes for 23 games in nearly two decades.

Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim was angry after the game, reiterating his criticism against the referees, who he says are “brave against Galatasaray but cowards when it comes to rivals.”

“The two points we dropped here were important in terms of psychology,” Terim said.

With 56 points, Galatasaray is second and five points away from leader Başakşehir, while Fenerbahçe, experiencing its worst season ever, is at 14th spot with 33 points.

On April 13, Beşiktaş defeated the leader Başakşehir 2-1

After going down 0-1 at the 35th minute to Robinho’s goal, the Eagles managed to equalize the score with 36-year-old Atiba Hutchinson in the 42nd minute.

The league’s top scorer Burak Yılmaz scored into the net in the 52th minute.

With the win, Beşiktaş raised its points to 53 and is still on the third spot.