The Lions narrowly defeated Eskişehirspor 2-1 in an away match in the Spor Toto Super League and continue to pursue their rivals Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe
The bitter struggle for the title this season continues to rage between Turkish powerhouses Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray. After Fenerbahçe drew with Trabzonspor on Saturday, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray's main aim has been to close the gap. Beşiktaş achieved their goal with a win at the weekend to take them to the top of the table. And with all eyes on Galatasaray on Monday, the Lions defeated Eskişehirspor 2-1 away from home.
Turkish central midfielder Selçuk İnan's goal in the 87th minute saved the day for the Istanbul team. Galatasaray's Umut Bulut scored the opening goal in the 20th minute before Eskişehirspor winger Ibrahim Sissoko tied the game seven minutes later. Galatasaray remain in third place with 42 points from 19 games, leaving them two points behind league leaders Beşiktaş. Hamza Hamzaoğlu's side take on Balıkesirspor next weekend. Galatasaray have closed the gap with second placed Fenerbahçe to just one point following the victory. Galatasaray's win also left them just two points off the top spot behind Beşiktaş.
Complaining about the quality of the pitch, the saver of the day Selçuk İnan said, "It was not easy to play on such a bad pitch and under those weather conditions. This win is very important for us. We play for the championship. We have not been able to win here for four years." İnan scored his third goal of the season in the process. The Turkish international has a total of three goals and four assists in all competitions for Galatasaray this season. The 29-year-old joined Galatasaray from Trabzonspor on a free transfer in July 2011. İnan was closely linked with moves to Inter, Everton and Leicester City over recent weeks after falling out with former Lions manager Cesare Prandelli. The Turkish international has improved his form under recently appointed coach Hamza Hamzaoğlu. The Galatasaray captain has won the Super League title twice with the Lions and also reached the quarter-finals and Last 16 of the Champions League since joining from Trabzonspor.
Galatasaray head coach Hamzaoğlu also said that winning all three points was especially important in such bad weather conditions. He said, "I congratulate my players for their winning mentality. We never gave up the fight. We must realize our deficiencies although we won. The poor football stemmed from the poor conditions on the pitch. The game was out of our control until we could adapt to the cold air. The title race will go until the end of the season. The three powerhoses will stay in competition right to the very end."
Eskişehirspor winger Ibrahim Sissoko claimed his team were the better side and that they should have got more out of the game. "We deserved at least a point, we were the better side," Sissoko told Lig Tv. "I am sure we are going to improve on our league standing, we do not deserve to be where we are, we are playing good football and I am confident." The 23-year-old completed four successful dribbles - more than any other player during the game. The Ivorian winger was awarded Man of the Match by Whoscored and given a rating of 8.02. Sissoko joined Eskişehirspor on a free transfer from Wolfsburg in the summer and has made a total of 18 appearances for the Super League outfit. Eskişehirspor are without a win in their last four league games, dropping into 15th place, just one position above the relegation zone following the loss.
Eskişehirspor manager Michael Skibbe revealed that he was pleased with his side's performance despite losing. "What can I say, we were the better side but couldn't finish our chances," Skibbe told Lig Tv. "I am pleased with our performance but disappointed that we could not even get a point." Skibbe also underlined that the playing conditions and the supporter ban made Eskişehirspor's job tougher. "The pitch was a problem of course and not playing in front of our fans did not help," he added. Eskişehirspor remain on 17 points in 15th place, just one position above the relegation zone following the defeat. Eskişehirspor face a tough fixture against 11th placed Gençlerbirliği next weekend at the 19 Mayıs Stadium in Ankara.
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