The key facts

  • Victor Osimhen scored a brace (29th and 44th minutes) in the derby at RAMS Park
  • Galatasaray, with 22 points, moved to the top of the table, while Fenerbahçe dropped to fifth place with 16 points

Osimhen's brace secured the derby win

Galatasaray defeated their arch-rival Fenerbahçe 2:1 in a matchday 9 fixture of the Turkish Süper Lig, played on Monday at the RAMS Park stadium in Istanbul. Both first-half goals were scored by Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, Anadolu reports.

Course of the match

The first half belonged to the hosts: in the 15th minute, Barış Alper Yılmaz forced Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Ederson to rescue his team with a save from a sharp angle, and in the 26th minute, the ball struck the Galatasaray post after Davinson Sánchez's clearance attempt from N'Golo Kanté's delivery. In the 29th minute, Osimhen opened the scoring, playing a one-two with Yılmaz and firing powerfully into the far top corner. Ederson denied the Nigerian with another save in the 38th minute, but in the 44th minute he scored his second goal with a header, redirecting Sánchez's shot into the net after İsmail Yakup's long throw-in. By halftime, Galatasaray had registered 11 shots, six of them on target, while Fenerbahçe had created none.

Kahveci's goal and a defended lead

In the second half, Yakup hit the crossbar after Roland Sallai's cross, and in the 62nd minute Fenerbahçe reduced the deficit: İrfan Can Kahveci, after a pass from Oğuz Aydın, scored with an overhead kick, although goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır got a hand to the ball. In the closing stages, the hosts held on for the win: in the 90th minute, Milan Škriniar's header was cleared almost off the goal line, and in stoppage time, substitute Leroy Sané forced Ederson into yet another save.

What changed in the table

The victory returned Galatasaray to the top of the Süper Lig — after nine matchdays the team has 22 points. Fenerbahçe, with 16 points, dropped to fifth place, trailing the leader by six points after the same number of matches.