Ankaragücü 1-4 Galatasaray: Galatasaray was crowned champion of Turkey on Tuesday evening. The number thirteen of last season already won the national title one round before the end.
Unprecedentedly productive Icardi gives Galatasaray the national title
After the dramatic last season, Galatasaray invested heavily in its selection in the summer. With Dries Mertens, Juan Mata and Mauro Icardi, among others, the Turkish top club gained a huge amount of experience in the European top. With Okan Buruk there was also a new head coach.
With all those new names, Galatasaray started the season somewhat inconsistently, but it has started to run since October. Buruk’s formation has been at the top of the Süper Lig for more than six months and also made no mistake on a visit to Ankaragücü on Tuesday.
That was, again, thanks to Icardi. The Argentinian opened the score in the seventh minute from a cross by former Vitesse attacker Milot Rashica: 0-1. After the equalizer of the home team, Icardi struck again, this time with the head: 1-2. Baris Yilmaz and Sérgio Oliveira then further expanded the score.
For Icardi it was again league goal number 20 and 21 of the season. The thirty-year-old Argentinian, who is rented from Paris Saint-Germain, is unprecedentedly productive in Turkey. After 23 Süper Lig matches, he has 21 goals and 7 assists. Certainly in recent weeks, Icardi has been on target: he scored thirteen times in his last nine games.
Thanks to the victory over Ankaragücü, Galatasaray has already won the championship one round before the end. Arch rival Fenerbahçe, the biggest competitor in the title fight, can no longer overtake the leader in next Sunday’s direct game.
Title win kicks off massive party in Istanbul
Galatasaray became national champion on Tuesday evening and that was immediately celebrated exuberantly. In Istanbul, the team was welcomed by thousands of fans. It caused a lot of emotions and beautiful images.
Last season, Galatasaray finished in a disappointing thirteenth place. So it had to be completely different. The course changed completely at the club and big names such as Mauro Icardi, Juan Mata and Dries Mertens came to Turkey. After six months in the lead, a visit to Ankaragücü put the crown on the transformation.
