Galatasaray widened its lead at the top of the Turkish Süper Lig to four points following a decisive weekend that saw the defending champion cruise to victory while its closest rival, Fenerbahçe, stumbled in a dramatic draw.
The leader secured a 3-1 win over Alanyaspor in an away game on Feb. 28, led by another standout performance from Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen. Osimhen, who notably declined the captain’s armband during the match as a gesture of respect to the team’s veteran hierarchy and gave it to İlkay Gündoğan, netted his 10th goal of the campaign and provided an assist to help secure the three points.
Having drawn against Liverpool in the Champions League in the round of 16, Galatasaray continues fighting on three fronts.
"Advancing to the round of 16 during such a busy schedule and maintaining our lead in the league is gratifying,” coach Okan Buruk said.
“Now, our focus must be on the league, the Turkish Cup and our success in the Champions League."
Galatasaray’s victory put the pressure on Fenerbahçe, which traveled to Antalya on March 1 for a high-stakes clash against Antalyaspor.
Fenerbahçe's title hopes took a minor hit as it was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw.
The Istanbul club found itself in a precarious position early in the second half, trailing 2-0 after goals from Antalyaspor’s Soner Dikmen and Sander van de Streek. However, a late surge saved a point for the visitors. The 19-year-old mid-season signing, Sidiki Cherif, sparked the comeback with a clinical finish in the 63rd minute, his first goal for the club, before a Veysel Sarı own goal in the 70th minute leveled the score.
Despite the comeback, the draw means Fenerbahçe now sits at 54 points, four behind Galatasaray’s 58 with 14 matches remaining in the season.
Fenerbahçe assistant coach Zeki Murat Göle was in charge of the team against Antalyaspor since coach Dominico Tedesco was suffering from a severe flu and a viral infection.
"The league is a long marathon,” Göle said after the match.
“Point losses can happen, but we will continue our fight until the very last second."
Elsewhere in the league, Trabzonspor kept its firm grip on third place with a 3-1 victory over struggling Karagümrük. The Black Sea team now has 51 points, keeping it within striking distance of the top two.
Beşiktaş also kept pace with the European spots, securing a narrow 1-0 away win against Kocaelispor to move to 46 points.
At the bottom of the table, Fatih Karagümrük remains rooted to the last spot with only 13 points, six points adrift of safety as the relegation battle intensifies.
