The Turkish Super League round of 14 saw Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe tussle it out for the leader spot while Galatasaray were desperate to keep within reach of the leading pack and Akhisar were out to prove their recent run of form has not just been a lucky fluke.
Galatasaray 3-0 Bursaspor
The Lions won their first game under the stewardship of Mustafa Denizli who replaced double winning manager Hamza Hamazoğlu just a fortnight ago. The 3-0 scoreline looks good on paper but the Lions were not as in control as the final result suggests. The Istanbul giants did not take the lead until 68 minutes when former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski opened the scoring with a powerful shot. Podolski now has a total eight goals and two assists in all competitions for the Lions this season. Yasin Öztekin doubled the score on 80 minutes and Podolski setup Burak Yılmaz with the third and final goal just before the final whistle. The victory took the home side within six point of leaders Galatasaray.
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Osmanlıspor 0-1 Kasımpaşa
Kasımpaşa beat newly promoted Osmanlıspor 1-0 in Ankara to move into sixth place in the Turkish Super League table. Tunay Torun scored the only goal of the game that extended the Istanbul minnows unbeaten run to five games. Chelsea fans may be glad to know that on-loan defender Kenneth Omeruo started for the away side and was statistically the highest rated player for his side according to Whoscored with a 7.6 rating.
Konyaspor 3-2 Antalyaspor
Samuel Eto’o really is like a fine wine when it comes to age. The former Barcelona man cannot be stopped but his 12th goal of the season was not enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat against Konyaspor. The Scorpions are reported to be on the lookout for a new manager to replace Yusuf Şimşek after a six game winless streak.
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Kayserispor 1-2 Beşiktaş
Mario Gomez has turned out to be the bargain of the season – so far. The former Bayern Munich star earned himself a recall to the national team after an impressive run – 12 goals in all competitions – of form for the Black Eagles and Manchester United are also reported to be interested according to the Telegraph. Super Mario scored the opening goal against Kayserispor dribbling round the keeper and slotting the ball into an empty net. Biseswar equalised for Kayserispor but Jose Sosa regained the lead for the away side from a set piece situation.
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Başakşehir 2-0 Gençlerbirliği
Abdullah Avcı really does deserve a lot of praise for getting Başakşehir to consistently over perform. The Istanbul minnows are out to prove last seasons fourth place finish was no fluke. Avcı’s boys are unbeaten in their last seven games and just six points off leaders Beşiktaş.
Mersin 3-0 Rizespor
The surprise result of the week was Mersin running amok against Rizespor. The Mediterranean based side are not quite out of the danger zone yet but they will be if they manage to perform at the same level more consistently.
Gaziantepspor 2-2 Fenerbahçe
Fenerbahçe had the chance to go top but it just was not their day. The home side took an early lead and things took a turn for the worse when Hasan Ali was sent off for a ridiculous challenge. Gökhan Gönül did manage to equalise for Fenerbahçe early in the second half but Muhammet Demir gave the Falcons the lead for the second time in the game just minutes later from the penalty spot. Alpert Potuk did score an equaliser and Fernandao hit the post late on but the Yellow Canaries were unable to find that third goal and sacrificed their leader spot to Beşiktaş.
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Akhisar 1-0 Sivasspor
The surprise package of the season Akhisar have been lethal at home. The Akigolar have the best home record in the Super League winning 19 points out of a maximum 21. The victory took Akhisar up into third place ahead of reigning champions Galatasaray.
Trabzonspor 3-1 Eskişehirspor
Trabzonspor returned to winning ways against last placed Eskişehirspor in what turned out to be a routine victory. Oscar Cardozo, Mehmet Ekici and youngster Beşir all got on the scoresheet to move the Black Sea Storm into 8th place.
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