Victor and vanquished in Europe return to Spor Toto Super League

But the same cannot be said of Beşiktaş’ İstanbul neighbors -- Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe -- who literally fell on their own sword.

The Galatasaray Lions were eliminated by Karpaty Lviv after they could only manage a 1-1 draw with the obscure Ukrainian side, which finished the game with nine men. The result meant Karpaty advancing 3-3 on the away goals rule because the first leg in İstanbul ended 2-2.

The pointless Lions, without a single victory in the two Super League matches so far, face gutsy and gritty Eskişehirspor away this evening. And judging from their horrendous form this season, the Lions’ third defeat in as many Super League matches seems to be on the horizon.

The slumping Fenerbahçe Yellow Canaries eliminated by Greek side PAOK -- of all teams -- are also not in the best of moods. Matches between Greek and Turkish sides have at much stake because of the years-old rivalry between the two countries. Common sense dictates that Fener should have been ousted by any other team, not the Greeks.

Having lost the first match 1-0 at PAOK, the Canaries needed to raise their game and beat PAOK on Thursday in order to advance. But they only managed a 1-1 draw and were ousted 3-1 on aggregate.

Coupled with the 3-2 Super League away defeat at the hands of Trabzon on Monday, the Canaries will be hosting newcomer Manisaspor behind closed doors this evening with weary feet. And that could be a boon for the Manisa lads, who otherwise would not have been a match for Fener.

Upbeat Eagles

The Black Eagles were pilloried from all corners after their 2-0 home loss to Abdullah Avcı’s İstanbul Büyükşehirspor Belediyesi last weekend. And it appeared as if the sky had fallen on the head of German coach Bernd Schuster and those of his Black Eagles.

Advancing to the group stage of the Europa League seems to have cleansed the Eagles of their football sins. Portuguese playmaker Ricardo Quaresma and others on the team scoring with relative ease shows that the Eagles may be back on the right track.

The four goals on Thursday were scored by four different players -- Quaresma, Guti, Necip Uysal and Filip Holosko -- meaning every player on the Eagles squad is capable of finding the net. This would only make Karabük’s job this evening more difficult.

The Eagles paid dearly for underestimating İstanbul BŞB and cannot to do the same against Karabük today. And coach Schuster warned after the Eagles’ rout of Helsinki on Thursday, “Football is serious business and you can always succeed if you take it seriously.” A word to the wise is enough. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.

Rijkaard in hot water

The problem with Galatasaray is that the team is made up of real mediocre players. The cash-strapped club sold several good players in pre-season but has not brought in suitable replacements.

Coach Rijkaard, week after week, has been experimenting on game plan and tactics. But with no good players to deliver the goods, the team has gone from bad to worse.

The Dutchman, as the coach, shares most of the blame for the demise of the Lions -- but he is trying to put the blame on others. “I won’t quit. There is still much work to be done,” he said on Thursday, implying his mission is not accomplished yet

But if the Lions drop points, by drawing or losing again in Eskişehirspor today, then Rijkaard will understand that the Super League is not a place for vain utterances. The match starts at 10 p.m.

Kocaman likewise

The same applies to Fener coach Aykut Kocaman, whose team has been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League and all European competitions this season.

The Fener Canaries are also struggling in the Super League where they were beaten 3-2 by Trabzon in week two. This means the Canaries have no room for error.

The good thing is that this evening they will be playing behind closed doors, far from the pressure of the demanding fans. The Canaries crushed Antalyaspor 4-0 in week one in an empty Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium and may do likewise to Manisa today. But even a commanding victory today may not be enough to quell the anger of the fans over their team’s early exit from Europe. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.

Kocaman knows all is not well with his team. The wealthy club is spending like a drunken sailor, buying any player he asks for -- yet there is no success. Elimination from Europe means huge financial losses to the club.

There’s an old Turkish saying, “Gelen gideni aratır” (an equivalent of the Danish proverb “The cow knows not what her tail is worth until she has lost it”).

German coach Christoph Daum was considered an absolute failure and shown the door at the end of last season -- and Kocaman hired in his place -- despite Daum leading the Canaries to second place in the league and also being the losing finalist in the Turkish Cup.