Galatasaray gleaming in Istanbul

By Türker Tozar

Galatasaray SK closed the gap at the top of the Turkish Super League to just two points after a battling victory against arch-rivals and leaders Fenerbahçe SK at the Ali Sami Yen stadium.

Necati goal
Necati Ates scored the only goal of the game ten minutes into the second half after picking up the loose ball following a tussle between Fenerbahçe's Fabio Luciano and Hakan Sükür. The Turkey striker rounded Rüstü Reçber before slotting in his tenth goal of the season. It was little more than Gheorghe Hagi's side deserved after dominating the first half with Necati, Sabri Sarioglu, Hakan Sükür and Hasan Sas all going close.

Fabio Luciano dismissal
The influential Hasan Sas was forced from the field with an injured elbow and Necati followed on 77 minutes after sustaining a head injury. Fenerbahçe posed a threat in the closing stages but the home side hung on and their task was made easier when Fabio Luciano was dismissed with three minutes remaining. Fenerbahçe remain on 40 points, just two clear of Galatasaray, who themselves lie just ahead of Trabzonspor.

Form strikers
Atay Aktug's side look to have put their recent malaise behind them as Fatih Tekke scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory at mid-table Samsunspor. The striker took his impressive season's tally to 14, while strike-partner Gökdeniz Karadeniz added the other as the Black Sea club continue to remain in the hunt for the title as the winter break approaches.

Berkant brilliance
Besiktas JK look too far off the pace following their poor start to the campaign but gained their third consecutive victory after coming from behind to beat Kayserispor with a last-minute goal by Berkant Göktan. Besiktas are now sixth, a place behind Çaykur Rizespor, who won 3-0 at home against nine-man Diyarbakirspor thanks to a Murat Sözkesen hat-trick.

Emre goal
Malatyaspor defeated faltering Gaziantepspor 2-1, while Denizlispor remain fourth after a 3-1 win against Gençlerbirligi in Ankara. Ersen Martin, Ömer Riza and Serhat Gülpinar were all on target. At the bottom, Sakaryaspor AS recorded their first away win of the season with a 1-0 victory at Akçaabat Sebatspor thanks to Emre Toraman's 87th-minute strike, although there was still time for the midfield player to be dismissed. The match between Istanbulspor AS and BB Ankaraspor ended 1-1 but the highest scoring game of the weekend came at Konyaspor, where the home side who lost 4-3 against MKE Ankaragücü.