Osimhen’s brace pips Fenerbahçe as Galatasaray wins 2-1

Alperen Karaköse - ISTANBUL

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Galatasaray beat archrivals Fenerbahçe 2-1 in a heated Istanbul derby on Oct. 26 to move to the top of Türkiye’s Süper Lig, with two players sent off after the final whistle.

The victory at RAMS Park lifted defending champion Galatasaray to 22 points after nine matches, opening a six-point gap over fifth-placed Fenerbahçe, which remained on 16 points.

Osimhen opened the scoring in the 29th minute, collecting a pass from Barış Alper Yılmaz before driving into the penalty area and firing a left-footed shot inside the near post.

The Nigerian striker doubled Galatasaray’s lead in the 44th minute. After a throw-in from Ismail Jakobs, Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Ederson punched the ball clear, but Davinson Sanchez sent it back toward goal, allowing Osimhen to head it into the net.

Fenerbahçe reduced the deficit in the 62nd minute through İrfan Can Kahveci, who finished with a spectacular overhead kick after a delivery from Kerem Aktürkoğlu and a touch from Oğuz Aydın.

The visitors pressed for an equalizer in the closing stages, but Galatasaray held on despite sustained pressure.

Fenerbahçe defender Milan Skriniar came close to leveling the score in the 90th minute with a header following a set-piece scramble, but Mario Lemina cleared the ball off the goal line.

Galatasaray also threatened on the counterattack, with Rafael Leao narrowly missing the target from a tight angle in the 87th minute.

Tensions spilled over after the final whistle, with Galatasaray defender Abdülkerim Bardakcı and Fenerbahçe’s Archie Brown receiving red cards following an altercation.

Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk said his team had controlled much of the match and could have won by a wider margin.

“We could have had a much bigger score,” Buruk said. He described the performance as potentially one of the team’s most comfortable matches of the season.

Buruk also cautioned against reading too much into the result, saying the derby was not a title decider and that his team needed to maintain its confidence and focus for the matches ahead.

Fenerbahçe coach İsmail Kartal apologized to supporters after his team’s defeat, acknowledging that the visitors had failed to perform to their standards in the first half.

“We are very sorry. We apologize to our fans. We were poor tonight,” Kartal said, adding that the team would focus on its upcoming match against Göztepe.

Despite the setback, he insisted that Fenerbahçe remained in the title race.

The result strengthened Galatasaray’s position in the title race, with the leaders scheduled to visit Konyaspor next week.