Turkish Super Lig Weekly: Sanchez and Sara lead Galatasaray to huge win over Besiktas
By the time Galatasaray and Besiktas stepped foot onto the pitch, they were the last two unbeaten teams left in the Super Lig. And with the former already having a five-point lead ahead of their opponents and Fenerbahce - albeit having played a game more - the significance of this Istanbul derby already felt huge.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side have made a really good start to the season, and were looking to make a statement at the home of the champions. However, Galatasaray knew that a win for them would put them in a strong position at the top of league, as well as dealing a significant psychological blow to the chasing sides.
After a riveting contest full of intensity that truly felt like a critical heavyweight clash, Galatasaray proved yet again just why they are going to be so tough to topple, putting in a fine performance to win 2-1.
It was a match clearly between the best two teams in the league this season. There was plenty of quality from both sides, and in fact, Besiktas had the majority of possession, and looked to be dominating the contest at the start of the second half. Despite the loss, Van Bronckhorst can definitely take positives.
However, Galatasaray's star-studded power in every position proved too much for their opponents.
Davinson Sanchez opened the scoring in the first half, with a composed header from a Gabriel Sara set piece. Victor Osimhen then headed home after 67 minutes, just as Besiktas had begun to get on top, from yet another Sara free kick.
Besiktas pulled one back in added time, with Albanian winger Ernest Muci scoring a real stunner into the top corner of Fernando Muslera's goal.
But it was to be a consolation, as Galatasaray made it nine wins from their first 10 games, extending their lead to six points at the summit and eight points ahead of Fenerbahce and Besiktas.
The stars of the show were, without a shadow of a doubt, Sanchez and Sara.
There is a strong case to say that Sanchez is Galatasaray's most important player. Signing from Tottenham last season, there was little doubt about his athleticism and quality on the ball, but he had lost his confidence in England, with Spurs fans regularly getting on his back.
But in Turkey, he has found his mojo, and is often an immovable object for attacking players. He completely shut out the league's top scorer Ciro Immobile, and is also a threat in attacking areas.
Meanwhile, Sara has been a magician since signing for the club from Norwich for a club-record fee of around 20 million euros in the summer. A deep-lying playmaker with so much technical class, he runs games for the Turkish champions, while possessing a wand of a left foot.
He has five assists already this campaign and has scored twice, including away at Fenerbahce.
At this moment in time, it looks difficult for anyone to stop Galatasaray. One of the best squads ever assembled in Super Lig history, it feels like they could be heading towards a record-extending 25th title.
Fenerbahce and Samsunspor win
Samsunspor continue to fly high and defy all expectations, hammering Kasimpasa 4-1 away from home, which saw them move into second in the league.
Carlo Holse bagged his third and fourth goals of the campaign, extending their unbeaten streak to six games.
Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce got back to winning ways after three consecutive draws, easing past Super Lig debutants Bodrumspor 2-0.
Mourinho started with both Youssef En-Nesyri and Edin Dzeko up front, and it paid dividends, with goals from both.
Quite incredibly, Bodrumspor, who have one of the weakest squads in the league and smallest budgets, sacked their manager Ismet Tasdemir following the defeat, despite sitting in 13th and with three wins already. A bizarre decision, considering he was the man who worked so hard to make them a Super Lig side.
Speaking of promoted sides, Eyupspor and Goztepe just keep rolling on. Fifth and sixth in the league respectively, Eyupspor claimed a 1-1 draw away at Istanbul Basaksehir, while the latter won one of the games of the weekend.
Trabzonspor have been far from impressive after eight game, but they were one of the few unbeaten teams left, with six draws and just six goals conceded.
Goztepe hosted them on Saturday, and despite going down to 10 men after just 25 minutes, they managed to secure a spectacular 2-1 win, with David Tijanic scoring in the 92nd minute to win the game for them.
Highlight of the Week
Muci's phenomenal strike against Galatasaray steals the headlines for the moment of the week.
Team of the Week
Sara is the player of the week after his fabulous showing against Besiktas, while Sanchez also makes an appearance. Three Sivasspor players make the cut after their 4-2 thumping of bottom-of-the-table Adana Demirspor, who have accumulated just the one point.