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Fener draw at Kayseri throws Super League race wide open
The Fener Yellow Canaries appeared to be running away with the coveted league championship after beating the Galatasaray Lions in the “mother of all derbies” in week 10 at the FB Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Kadıköy the Sunday before last.
Fenerbahçe cheerleaders were composing tunes poking fun at Galatasaray. Pictures of Brazilian captain-player Alex de Souza dressed in sultan’s attire and his fellow teammates prostrating before him were splashed across the front pages of most local newspapers last week. And the Fener fans loved it.
In a nutshell, the Fener Canaries and their fans were celebrating as if they had already clinched the league silverware, forgetting that no championships are handed out at this stage of the Super League.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Pride goes before a fall! The Canaries went into the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri hoping that they would beat the Tigers and retain their five-point lead. Beat? It was the Canaries themselves who were lucky to go home with a draw and one precious point.
A horrendous goalkeeping error by Kayserispor keeper Souleymanou Hamidou helped to give the Canaries the lead in the 20th minute. Hamidou fumbled a powerful long-range shot from Brazilian midfielder Cristian Oliveira Baroni, and before the keeper knew what was happening, the ball had already hit the back of the net.
Host Kayserispor got the equalizer from Argentine striker Franco Dario Cangele, who converted a penalty kick six minutes before the end regulation time after he was pulled from behind by Fener’s legendary defender Roberto Carlos. The Canaries thereafter withstood a late barrage from the Tigers for a 1-1 draw.
Fener German coach Christoph Daum summed it all at his post-match, saying: “Honestly speaking, I cannot say we dropped points,” the German said. “We did not lose two points, we won one. And the reason was that Kayserispor, the better side in the second half, chased every ball, was more determined and naturally had more scoring chances.”
Daum also heaped praise on keeper Volkan Demirel. “Volkan made daring saves, and I can say he was our star of the night,” the German coach added.
They say De Souza is equal to half of the Fener team; that was the case on Sunday. With Alex sidelined due to injury and watching the match from the stands, the Canaries were ordinary. Hopefully the playmaker will recover in time for the Fener UEFA Europa League match against Steaua Bucharest on Thursday.
No sweat for the Lions
The Galatasaray Lions beat whipping boy Sivasspor 2-0 at İstanbul with two first-half goals from Congo striker Shabani Christophe Nonda in the 11th minute and a well-taken free kick by Aussie midfielder Harry Kewell just before halftime. The victory reduced Fenerbahçe’s lead over the Lions to three meager points and brought the Lions well within striking distance.
“I can say we have overcome lethargy,” Galatasaray’s Dutch coach said. “In my opinion we played well; the only problem was that we could not score a third goal. We earned three points with beautiful play. Now we must maintain this winning streak,” he added.
The victory, without the slightest doubt, is a morale booster for the Lions ahead of their UEFA Europa League match away at Dinamo Bucharest on Thursday.
Other Turkcell Super League results on Sunday: Denizlispor 0, İstanbul BşB 1; Gaziantepspor 2, Diyarbakirspor 1; Gençlerbirliği 0, Manisaspor 2; and Kasımpaşa 1, Eskisehirspor 1.
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