Trabzonspor trip up Besiktas

Trabzonspor brushed aside second-placed Besiktas JK 3-0 on Sunday to put themselves in the hunt for the Turkish Superleague title.

Back to reality
Gökdeniz Karadeniz and Belarussian midfield player Maxim Romashenko added second-half goals to Fatih Tekke’s headed opener to move four points behind the Istanbul side. Leaders Fenerbahçe SK, meanwhile, brought Gençlerbirligi SK down to earth on Saturday after their 4-0 aggregate defeat of Parma AC in the UEFA Cup, defeating Kazim Ersun Yanal’s men 1-0.

Solitary goal
Pierre van Hooijdonk’s solitary goal - a well-taken lob in the 24th minute - ensured that Fenerbahçe triumphed in Ankara for the first time in four years and extended their lead at the top of the standings. The Dutch striker also made an important contribution at the other end of the pitch, conjuring up two goalline clearances in the first half.

Galatasaray win
Fourth-placed Denizlispor suffered a surprise 1-0 reverse at Malatyaspor following a tenth-minute Ömer Riza goal while Galatasaray SK are fifth courtesy of a 3-2 defeat of Adanaspor AS. Nekati Ates, Hakan Sükür and Hasan Sas were all on target for the home team, who were unable to keep out efforts from Gökmen Yildiran and Ali Asim Balkaya. Meanwhile, sixth-placed Gaziantepspor drew 2-2 with Akçaabat Sebatspor and MKE Ankaragücü prevailed 3-2 away against Istanbulspor AS.

Hopes boosted
Struggling Elazigspor improved their hopes of survival with a 1-0 win against Samsunspor, Yunus Altun collecting the only goal in the eighth minute. Similarly, Rizespor secured a vital three points against Diyarbakirspor, also coming through 1-0. Bursaspor, under the charge of new coach Nedzad Bijedic, salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw with Konyaspor as Cenk Isler converted a penalty to cancel out Danut Frasineanu’s 58th-minute opener.