Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahce: Final score 1-0, entertaining theatrics marred by sporadic outbreaks of football

Galatasaray kept their faint Super Lig title hopes alive with a 1-0 win over 10-man Fenerbahce in the intercontinental derby.

On the day of Wrestlemania, the two Turkish giants slugged it out in what at times more resembled a WWE Battle Royal than an actual football match. There were multiple simultaneous minor skirmishes throughout, a great deal of rolling around, yet very little real violence.

Between the squabbles, the bulk of the football was played by the hosts. With Didier Drogba so typically turning up for the biggest games, Galatasaray looked in command from the first minute. When Wesley Sneijder gave them a ninth minute lead with a crisp side footed finish, it came as little surprise.

Sneijder could and probably should have added to his opener when put through by a sumptuous Drogba pass, and the Ivorian rattled the woodwork himself shortly afterwards on the volley.

Fenerbahce, by contrast, just couldn’t get going in an attacking sense. Moussa Sow flashed a couple of long-range efforts high and wide, but they failed to actually craft anything of note. Their task became a whole lot tougher when their captain, Emre Belözoğlu, was sent off before the break for a second yellow card, though in fairness to the former Inter man, the same fate could have befallen any number of players on either side. Felipe Melo enjoyed it, though, which was nice.

The visitors came out after the break and rallied briefly, with the marauding Caner Erkin, a particularly effective outlet down the left, twice coming within a whisker of releasing Sow.

But Gala were not going to let this one slip. In fact, it was only really down to Volkan Demirel and his smart save from the largely disappointing Burak Yilmaz that this one even remained a contest into the later stages.

It was an entertaining and robust affair, as you’d probably expect. The final tally of fourteen yellow cards and two reds tells the story. I don’t think anyone will be expecting this result to derail Fenerbahce’s title push too much, though.

Galatasaray: Muslera, Eboue (Sabri 64’), Semih, Hakan, Telles, Yekta, Melo, Selçuk, Sneijder (Gunter ‘90), Drogba, Burak

Goals: Sneijder ‘9

Fenerbahce: Volkan, Gökhan, Bekir, Alves, Caner, Mehmet Topal, Meireles, Kuyt, Sow (Topuz 76’), Emre, Emenike

Goals: None