Turkey round-up: Besiktas edge towards glory

Besiktas JK took another step towards the Turkish Super League title at the weekend after securing a narrow 1-0 away victory against Adanaspor AS.

Sergen amends
Sergen Yalçin scored the only goal of Saturday's game from the penalty spot when Ilhan Mansiz was brought down three minutes before the interval, making amends for missing an earlier penalty.

Ümit header
On Sunday, Galatasaray SK, in second, were unable to make ground on Besiktas after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Gençlerbirligi SK, who lie one place behind in third. Filip Daems put the home side ahead in the ninth minute but Galatasaray equalised two minutes later with a powerful header from Ümit Karan.

Easy win
Fourth-placed Gaziantepspor encountered few difficulties on their way to a 3-1 defeat of Göztepe AS, Brazilian Viola slamming in after 33 minutes and Ibrahim Toraman collecting two goals in the second half. Cem Baki’s goal seconds from the whistle provided scant consolation. 

Ahinful makes sure
MKE Ankaragücü edged closer to a UEFA Cup spot thanks to a 2-0 defeat of Trabzonspor. Vicente Simão, another Brazilian, made it 1-0 on the half-hour mark and Augustine Ahinful confirmed the victory late on.

Away victory
Istanbulspor AS, though, hampered Malatyaspor’s chances of a UEFA Cup spot with a 2-1 away win. Fazli Ulusoy gave the visitors the lead in the 39th minute but team-mate Tolga Seyhan scored an own goal four minutes later, Selçuk striking the decider with a minute to go.  
 
Precious points
At the other end of the table, Elazigspor defeated Bursaspor 2-1 at home. The visitors went ahead in the 15th minute through Okan Yilmaz but Ümit Hatipoglu and Osman Yesilmese turned the scoreline around to lift their team to 16th place.

Late leveller
Samsunspor took a point from Altay GK in Izmir in a 2-2 draw, with Oktay Derelioglu on target in the 20th minute, before Sinan equalised from the penalty spot. Çagdas Atan made it 2-1 for Altay 12 minutes into the second half after Tahir Karapinar’s free-kick but Mehmet Nas equalised for Samsunspor with ten minutes remaining.

Out of rut
Denizlispor earned their first points in seven weeks courtesy of a 2-0 defeat of Diyarbakirspor. First-half goals from Ersen Martin and Servet Çetin were enough for the much welcome victory.

Sanli decisve
Fifth-placed Fenerbahçe SK, meanwhile, won for the first time in nine games on Friday by securing a 1-0 win against bottom side Kocaelispor, who are almost certain to be relegated. Tuncay Sanli’s 26th-minute goal was the difference between the sides.