Osimhen settles the Istanbul derby: Galatasaray celebrate as pressure mounts on Fenerbahçe

What happened

In the big match of round nine of Turkey's Süper Lig, Galatasaray beat Fenerbahçe 2-1 at their home ground, RAMS Park. Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen scored twice in the first half: first just before the half-hour mark, then shortly before the break, when he converted a parried shot from Davinson Sánchez. According to Sporx, Fenerbahçe did not manage a single shot in the first half.

Around the hour mark, İrfan Can Kahveci pulled one back for the visitors. Fenerbahçe still had chances late on – Jakobs hit the post, and Galatasaray's Lemina cleared a Milan Škriniar header off the line near the end. An equaliser was not far away.

Galatasaray now lead the table with 22 points, with Fenerbahçe on 16. For coach İsmail Kartal's side it is already the second derby defeat this season against an Istanbul rival. New national team coach Sergen Yalçın watched from the stands.

The mood on the ground

According to Sporx, the stadium was full to the last seat, with visiting fans filling their section too. Fenerbahçe supporters had gathered beforehand in the Kadıköy district on the Asian side and travelled together by bus to the stadium. When the Fenerbahçe players walked onto the pitch, they were met with relentless booing.

Emotions boiled over in the opening seconds: players from both sides clashed, including Romelu Lukaku and Abdülkerim Bardakcı. After the final whistle, Galatasaray's players and staff formed a circle in midfield and celebrated together with the fans. Supporters called Russian newcomer Aleksey Batrakov over to the stands, and club president Dursun Özbek applauded.

At Fenerbahçe the mood is tense. After the 2-2 Champions League draw with Slavia Prague a few days earlier, fans had already called for coach Kartal's resignation; he said at the time that what hurt most was letting the supporters down. The derby defeat widens the gap to the top further.

Voices from the media