Triumphant Trabzonspor seal second

By Türker Tozar

On a hectic last day in Turkey, Trabzonspor pipped Galatasaray SK to a UEFA Champions League qualification place by defeating Istanbulspor.

Quickfire four
Meanwhile, newly-crowned champions Fenerbahçe SK ended their campaign in defeat at the hands of Konyaspor. Christoph Daum's team led after six minutes through defender Önder Turaci's header, but Konyaspor hit back, scoring four times in 22 minutes through former Fenerbahçe midfield player Erhan Albayrak and Muhammet Hanifi Akagündüz, plus two goals from Zafer Biryol, to lead 4-1 at the break. Nicolas Anelka reduced the deficit six minutes from time.

Fatih delight
Trabzonspor will join Fenerbahçe in the Champions League qualification stages after securing an impressive 5-0 win against already-relegated Istanbulspor to seal second place. Turkish international defender Tolga Seyhan's header opened the scoring after six minutes, before Ibrahima Yattara doubled the Black Sea club's advantage 22 minutes later. Miroslaw Szymkowiak scored either side of the penalty which ensured Fatih Tekke finished the season as the league's top scorer with 31 goals.

Galatasaray gloom
Consequently, Galatasaray were forced to settle for third place and a UEFA Cup berth despite winning 4-0 against Denizlispor. Hasan Kabze scored twice, while the Istanbul side's other goals came from Rigobert Song and Necati Ates. They will be joined in the UEFA Cup next season by Besiktas JK, who drew 2-2 with bottom club Akçaabat Sebatspor, despite leading twice through a Veysel Cihan double. Sebatspor's equalisers came courtesy of Orhan Kaynak.

Sakaryaspor despair
At the bottom, Sakaryaspor AS became the last team to be relegated after a 4-2 defeat against Malatyaspor. A Serkan Özsoy own goal had cancelled out Bilal Kisa's strike for Malatyaspor, but second-half strikes from Milan Osterc, Murat Erdogan Helman Mkhalele condemned Sakaryaspor to the drop, despite Serdal Kurt scoring a consolation.

Kayserispor survive
Saban Yildirim's men replaced Diyarbakispor in 16th place after Eser Yagmur's last-gasp goal saw them overcome Samsunspor and move two points clear of the drop zone, while Kayserispor preserved their top-flight status following a goalless draw with BB Ankaraspor. Elsewhere, Gençlerbirligi SK and MKE Ankaragücü ended their seasons on a high with 2-1 victories against Gaziantespor and Rizespor respectively.