Adana Demirspor extended Galatasaray’s Süper Lig misery with a 2-0 win on Tuesday through two goals from Galatasaray loanee Yunus Akgün. Though Akgün refused to celebrate either of his goals out of respect to his parent club — no easy feat given his second strike — that didn’t stop Mario Balotelli choosing an odd way to celebrate.
Sunday’s Intercontinental Derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe featured two sides that are struggling to keep pace with the top of the Süper Lig, but it’s always a monumental occasion when the European side of Istanbul clashes with the Asian.
The scene at Galatasaray’s NEF Stadium was electric before kick-off, with players entering the pitch to one of this season’s greatest tifos. If there’s a contest going on without a reference to Squid Game these days, did a contest really even take place?
As José Mourinho once explained, Mario Balotelli occasionally starts playing his own game with its own set of rules out on the pitch.
In the 62nd minute of Friday’s Süper Lig encounter between Balotelli’s Adana Demirspor and home side Antalyaspor, the 31-year-old striker sprinted through the midfield on a counter attack that was quickly looking like a three-on-two for the visitors. With the score level at 1-1, this represented a huge moment for Adana Demirspor.
Turkey’s Super Lig is one of the hidden gems of European soccer. This is probably the fourth or fifth time I’ve found myself writing about some crazy shit that went down in Turkey. This time around a Galatasaray fight between two teammates during Monday's Super Lig match has caught the world’s attention.
Mario Balotelli. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. A long time. The Italian striker who dazzled the world a decade ago has drifted into an abyss of irrelevancy. So, where is Balotelli now? The 30-year-old signed a new contract that will see him playing in Turkey for the 2021-22 season.
ANKARA — A Turkish court on Friday sentenced a media executive and a former police chief to more than 1,000 years each in prison for conspiring to bring match-fixing charges against top soccer club Fenerbahçe.
Fenerbahçe's president was jailed for match-fixing a decade ago and the club was barred from playing in European competitions for two seasons, but the case was reopened after prosecutors said it was founded on a conspiracy.
ISTANBUL - Beşiktaş seized the Turkish Süper Lig title for the 16th time on Saturday with a 2-1 win away to Göztepe, clinching the title on goal difference ahead of their Istanbul rivals Galatasaray in a tense end to the season.
The win lifted Beşiktaş to 84 points, level with Galatasaray who beat Yeni Malatyaspor 3-1. Beşiktaş's goal difference of 45 was one better than their rivals. Third-placed Fenerbahçe ended on 82 points.
With just four games left to play in the Turkish Süper Lig, front-runner Beşiktaş holds a six-point lead over city rival Galatasaray in second placed and Fenerbahçe in third. Beşiktaş must still take on Fatih Terim and Galatasaray once more before the season concludes, a pivotal clash set for May 9.
The Süper Lig is the highest division of men’s professional football in Turkey. Founded in 1959, 21 teams compete for spots in the UEFA Champions League, and teams at the bottom of the table are relegated to the TFF First League. The current champion is İstanbul Başakşehir with its first title, while Galatasaray holds the record for the most titles with 22.
DeAndre Yedlin might be second-guessing his decision to play in Turkey right about now. The American fullback has had a rollercoaster start to time at Galatasaray and it took a dip with a gruesome-looking Yedlin injury against Fatih Karagümrük on Saturday.
Home