BeÅŸiktaÅŸ fails to grasp top of the league
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Nisan 21, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Only a day after Sivasspor's slump at Konyaspor, BeÅŸiktaÅŸ fails to make the most of its chance to take top spot in the Turkcell Super League, after being held to a draw against Bursaspor. Football action continues with the Fortis Turkish Cup semifinal games this week.
BeÅŸiktaÅŸ has been unable to capitalize on Sivasspor’s slump and failed to take over the top spot in the Turkcell Super League. Â
The Istanbul side was in a great position to claim the top of the league with a win over Bursaspor on Sunday, only one day after leader Sivas could only manage a goalless draw at Konyaspor. However, the BeÅŸiktaÅŸ-Bursaspor game ended in exactly the same fashion, much to the relief of the league leader.
BeÅŸiktaÅŸ had to play most of the game with 10 men, after defender Ä°brahim Toraman was sent off in the 40th minute when he picked up a second yellow card. Coach Mustafa Denizli praised his players, who did not drop the tempo after the red card.
"We played through long periods with a one-man deficit but we never thought about losing the game," said Denizli. "We thought we could win, actually we found the chances to win. Maybe we could not get what we deserved, but that is not that important. We continue on our way."
Denizli added that pressure played its part in that slump.
"This week’s results and high expectations going into the match put some pressure on us and affected us a little," said the coach.
Former Beşiktaş coach Ertuğrul Sağlam came to the İnönü Stadium for the first time as the Bursa manager, and enjoyed a warm welcome. Sağlam thanked Beşiktaş fans for their fidelity, but said that they could beat Beşiktaş.
"We should have beaten a 10-man team, especially when BeÅŸiktaÅŸ took risks to find a goal. I wish them success on their way to title."
Meanwhile, Galatasaray bounced back from last weekend’s derby against Fenerbahçe and finally found a glimmer of hope with a win over Istanbul Municipality.
Czech star Milan Baros scored the only goal of the game on Sunday, giving a kiss of life to his side depleted with injuries and suspensions.
Six points behind leader Sivasspor with six weeks to go, Galatasaray still has a faint chance of winning the title, and coach Bülent Korkmaz said that his side would keep battling till it was completely over.
"I don’t want to talk about how we played today," he said. "What matters is that we won. We need to win and expect our opponents to drop points."
The domestic football scene is lightened with the Fortis Turkish Cup this week, starting with the Sivasspor-Fenerbahçe game. League leader Sivas will try to overturn a 3-1 deficit when it welcomes Fener, who hopes to find consolation to its poor league performance with a victory in the cup.
The Istanbul side was in a great position to claim the top of the league with a win over Bursaspor on Sunday, only one day after leader Sivas could only manage a goalless draw at Konyaspor. However, the BeÅŸiktaÅŸ-Bursaspor game ended in exactly the same fashion, much to the relief of the league leader.
BeÅŸiktaÅŸ had to play most of the game with 10 men, after defender Ä°brahim Toraman was sent off in the 40th minute when he picked up a second yellow card. Coach Mustafa Denizli praised his players, who did not drop the tempo after the red card.
"We played through long periods with a one-man deficit but we never thought about losing the game," said Denizli. "We thought we could win, actually we found the chances to win. Maybe we could not get what we deserved, but that is not that important. We continue on our way."
Denizli added that pressure played its part in that slump.
"This week’s results and high expectations going into the match put some pressure on us and affected us a little," said the coach.
Former Beşiktaş coach Ertuğrul Sağlam came to the İnönü Stadium for the first time as the Bursa manager, and enjoyed a warm welcome. Sağlam thanked Beşiktaş fans for their fidelity, but said that they could beat Beşiktaş.
"We should have beaten a 10-man team, especially when BeÅŸiktaÅŸ took risks to find a goal. I wish them success on their way to title."
Meanwhile, Galatasaray bounced back from last weekend’s derby against Fenerbahçe and finally found a glimmer of hope with a win over Istanbul Municipality.
Czech star Milan Baros scored the only goal of the game on Sunday, giving a kiss of life to his side depleted with injuries and suspensions.
Six points behind leader Sivasspor with six weeks to go, Galatasaray still has a faint chance of winning the title, and coach Bülent Korkmaz said that his side would keep battling till it was completely over.
"I don’t want to talk about how we played today," he said. "What matters is that we won. We need to win and expect our opponents to drop points."
The domestic football scene is lightened with the Fortis Turkish Cup this week, starting with the Sivasspor-Fenerbahçe game. League leader Sivas will try to overturn a 3-1 deficit when it welcomes Fener, who hopes to find consolation to its poor league performance with a victory in the cup.