Solid Kayserispor holds Fener for a draw

Turkcell Super League leader Fenerbahçe was held to a 1-1 draw at the hands of Kayserispor on Sunday.

A week after defeating archrival Galatasaray 3-1, Fenerbahçe looked far from its best, mainly due to the absence of its star player Alex de Souza, but still took the lead with a freak goal in the first half. Defensive midfielder Cristian Baroni shot a ball from about 35 meters, but Kayserispor's veteran goalkeeper Souleymanou Hamidou failed to catch the ball which slowly lobbed into the home team’s goal.

The second half saw Kayserispor attack and pile on the pressure. In one of their forays, Dario Cangele's right shoulder was held by Fenerbahçe left back Roberto Carlos in the box. The referee pointed to the spot and Cangele equalized from the resultant penalty in the 71st minute. The home team was the better side in the last quarter of an hour, but did not manage to find a winner despite numerous chances.

Speaking after the game, Fenerbahçe coach Christoph Daum did not see the draw as two points lost but as one point won.

"We played against a very good team and I see one point as a good result," said the German coach.

Fenerbahçe still leads the league, but Galatasaray managed to inch closer to the top after a 2-0 win over Sivasspor on Sunday.

The Lions, playing without star attackers Milan Baros, Abdel Kader Keita and Elano Blumer, took the lead early with Shabani Nonda's strike in the 11th minute. Galatasaray scored its second just before halftime with a free kick following a rarely called infraction: Sivas goalkeeper Michael Petkovic held the ball without restarting the game for about 15 seconds, leading the referee to award Galatasaray an indirect free kick from within the penalty area. Harry Kewell tallied a scorcher from the subsequent kick, giving the scoreboard its final look.

"We got some bad results in the last few weeks, but it's over now," said Galatasaray coach Frank Rijkaard after the game. "Team spirit is getting really high again and that's why I am happy."