Trabzonspor home in on European spot

By Türker Tozar

Trabzonspor moved a step closer a UEFA Champions League qualification berth after defeating second-placed Galatasaray SK 2-0 at the Ali Sami Yen stadium to move two points behind their opponents in the Turkish Superleague table.

Late action
Polish midfield player Miroslaw Szymkowiak gave the Black Sea club the lead midway through the first half with a long-range effort. Galatasaray went in search of an equaliser but their endeavours proved futile when Gökdeniz Karadeniz added a second in second-half added time, just moments before Trabzonspor were reduced to ten men after the dismissal of defender Erdinç Yavuz.

Last-gasp Luciano
Galatasaray's defeat allowed leaders Fenerbahçe SK to finish the weekend seven points clear at the top of the pile after defeating Sakaryaspor 1-0. Fabio Luciano struck the decisive goal when he headed in Serhat Akin's corner in added time.

Besiktas bulge
Besiktas JK maintrained their slim hopes of clinching third place after they defeated MKE Ankaragücü 4-1 at Inönü stadium. Norwegian forward John Carew gave the Istanbul side the lead on 14 minutes but the visitors hit back nine minutes later through Faruk Namdar's close-range header.

Carew couple
Ahmet Durson's effort from outside the penalty area handed Besiktas back the initiative, before Carew struck his second of the match after a mazy dribble through the Ankaragücü defence. Romanian Daniel Pancu completed the scoring with a 74th-minute penalty, as Besiktas remain seven points adrift of Trabzonspor.

Rizespor leapfrogged
Denizlispor replaced Rizespor in fifth place after earning a 3-0 home win against them. Serhat Gülpinar put his side ahead after 20 minutes and Ömer Rize doubled Denizlispor's advantage seven minutes before the break. Bülent Ertugrul added a third four minutes after the restart.

Run ended
BB Ankaraspor ended their four-game win drought with a 3-0 victory against Diyarbakirspor. Brazilian Jaba opened the scoring on 69 minutes, tapping in Hasan Yigit's far-post cross, before Wederson and Saffet Akyüz sealed the win with goals in the final ten minutes.

Bottom two deadlocked
Elsewhere, Malatyaspor won 2-0 against struggling Istanbulspor AS thanks to goals from Schuman Bah and Murat Erdogan with seven minutes remaining, while two goals from Bulgarian striker Zdravko Lazarov helped Gaziantepspor defeat Konyaspor, though he also missed a penalty. The match between the bottom two sides Kayiserispor and Akçaabat Sebatspor ended scoreless, as did Samsunspor's encounter with Gençlerbirligi SK.