One of the most important matches of the Turkish Football League, Trendyol Super League, the “intercontinental derby” between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe was played on Monday, February 24. This match was long awaited by Turkish football fans, as these teams are the two of the three most well-known Turkish teams in the world, and due to the fact that this match has a glorious yet competitive history.
The reason this match is called an “intercontinental derby” is that Galatasaray is based on the European side of Istanbul, while Fenerbahçe is on the Asian side. Throughout their great rivalry history, the matches between these two great teams are being remembered for their passionate fanbases, awesome tactics, impressive performances, huge score differences, and also, unfortunately, the aggression as a result of the great determination and ambition of both the players and the fans. The match, the great derby of Türkiye, extends beyond football matches; it is also a great reflection of the pride and identity these clubs hold.
In the previous derby of the season, played in September, Galatasaray defeated Fenerbahçe with a score of 3-1 at their home stadium. The goals were scored by the midfielders of Galatasaray Lucas Torreira, Gabriel Sara, Dries Mertens; and Edin Dzeko, the forward player of Fenerbahçe.
The competition between these two teams had risen in the last few years due to Fenerbahçe’s decade-long championship drought and Galatasaray aiming for their 25th championship in the Super League history. Moreover, since Galatasaray has recently been eliminated from the European League and Fenerbahçe passed to the Last 16 Round, fans were even more determined. Also, the football manager of Fenerbahçe is a remarkable name in the industry, as he has previously managed some of the biggest teams in the world, such as Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid; Jose Mourinho also makes the matches more exciting.
However, despite all the expectations and hopes of the fans, the match ended with a 0-0 draw, and fans described it as “very boring.". The goalless result allowed Galatasaray to maintain their six-point lead over their arch-rivals in the standings.
To have a look at the match, it is possible to say that some names from both of the teams showed a great performance. Midfielder Mario Lemina, forward Victor Osimhen, defender Davinson Sanchez, and goalkeeper Fernando Muslera from Galatasaray had an outstanding performance, according to fans. Muslera's performance especially made fans really content, as many were disappointed with his recent form. Also, the return of Lemina to Galatasaray did not disappoint any fans, as he has served not only as a midfielder but also gave both offensive and conservative performances. However, despite all their efforts, they were not able to break Fenerbahçe’s impressive defense with Çağlar Söyüncü, Yusuf Akçiçek, Milan Škriniar, and the goalkeeper İrfan Can Eğribayat. The performances of midfielder Filip Kostić and forward Edin Dzeko were also noteworthy.
One shot of Fenerbahçe met with the nets, but the goal was not counted as the referee decided that their midfielder Sebastian Szymański had scored a foul against Muslera, goalkeeper of Galatasaray.
At the end of the match, it is possible to say that Galatasaray is content with securing a draw to prevent Fenerbahçe from lowering the point difference, and the chances of Fenerbahçe becoming the champion have become lower as we get closer to the end of the season.
The Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe matches always cause controversy, especially in the last few years. This match was also the stage for some controversies. In the first place, the rivalry between the two teams has moved off the field due to mutual statements, polemics between presidents and executives, and the clubs' objections to the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), the Central Referee Boards (MHK), and referee decisions. After the tension increased, TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu announced that a world-renowned foreign referee would officiate the derby to be held at RAMS Park on Monday, February 24. The experienced referee Slavko Vincic from the Slovenian Football Federation was appointed for the critical derby. The 136th Super League derby will be the 18th meeting in the rivalry in which a foreign referee will be officiating the match. This result has minimized the controversy regarding the referee after the match. Secondly, during the match, tensions escalated when Fenerbahçe fans threw flares into the Galatasaray section. This caused a pause to the game. After a few minutes, the order was eventually restored, and the match resumed without further incident. For security purposes, police were in the field while the two teams were leaving the match, both to intervene with any possible aggressive fans throwing objects to the players and the players of the teams fighting, which is something that has happened in the previous years.
Edited by: Ömer Gökce, Yağmur Ece Nisanoğlu