League’s top two get a fair share of points
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 23, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - After seeing that Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor lost their games, a draw was not a bad result for Turkcell Super League's top two teams Sivasspor and Beşiktaş. They were disappointed to lose a chance to break away, but happy that they kept on setting the pace atop.
Sometimes in football, teams are more afraid to lose than they want to win. The last minutes of the game between Sivasspor and Beşiktaş were a great example.
The most important game of the weekend in the Turkcell Super League ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday, giving two teams a chance to maintain their positions in the top two spots of the league. After two other title contenders, Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor suffered defeats in the league, Sivas and Beşiktaş knew that a defeat would be too detrimental and did not risk their all to get a win.
After the game, Beşiktaş coach Mustafa Denizli admitted that the draw was not a bad result.
"We are neither happy, nor sad," said Denizli. "There is not much to be said, but at least we kept our place in the second spot. That is an advantage we will use more in the following games."
Beşiktaş missed the opportunity to take the top spot, but the coach insists that nothing is lost. "We lost two points but it will not distract us from our targets," said Denizli.
Managing his side due to head coach Bülent Uygun’s suspension, Sivasspor’s assistant manager Sefer Yılmaz said the game lived up to the expectations of a clash between the top two teams of the league.
"Two sides did their best," said Yılmaz. "After we took the lead, we could not defend well. Then we balanced the game again but could not score the winning goal."
Sivasspor captain Mehmet Yıldız said his side was sad to lose two points. "We had more goal chances and deserved to win. But in football, if you can’t win, you should know how not to lose," said Yıldız.
The draw extended long streaks for both teams. While Beşiktaş continued its unbeaten run in 2009 to nine games, Sivasspor extended its unbeaten streak in home games to 13.
Earlier Saturday, Trabzonspor suffered another blow as it was beaten 3-2 by Gaziantepspor.
With only one win in the last six games, Trabzonspor is suffering from a slipup in form. Coach Ersun Yanal will be hoping that a 10-day break for the league, due to international fixtures, will help his boys recover from their recent poor form.
The most important game of the weekend in the Turkcell Super League ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday, giving two teams a chance to maintain their positions in the top two spots of the league. After two other title contenders, Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor suffered defeats in the league, Sivas and Beşiktaş knew that a defeat would be too detrimental and did not risk their all to get a win.
After the game, Beşiktaş coach Mustafa Denizli admitted that the draw was not a bad result.
"We are neither happy, nor sad," said Denizli. "There is not much to be said, but at least we kept our place in the second spot. That is an advantage we will use more in the following games."
Beşiktaş missed the opportunity to take the top spot, but the coach insists that nothing is lost. "We lost two points but it will not distract us from our targets," said Denizli.
Managing his side due to head coach Bülent Uygun’s suspension, Sivasspor’s assistant manager Sefer Yılmaz said the game lived up to the expectations of a clash between the top two teams of the league.
"Two sides did their best," said Yılmaz. "After we took the lead, we could not defend well. Then we balanced the game again but could not score the winning goal."
Sivasspor captain Mehmet Yıldız said his side was sad to lose two points. "We had more goal chances and deserved to win. But in football, if you can’t win, you should know how not to lose," said Yıldız.
The draw extended long streaks for both teams. While Beşiktaş continued its unbeaten run in 2009 to nine games, Sivasspor extended its unbeaten streak in home games to 13.
Earlier Saturday, Trabzonspor suffered another blow as it was beaten 3-2 by Gaziantepspor.
With only one win in the last six games, Trabzonspor is suffering from a slipup in form. Coach Ersun Yanal will be hoping that a 10-day break for the league, due to international fixtures, will help his boys recover from their recent poor form.