Sivas blows advantage giving hope to trailers
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 20, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Turkcell Super League leader Sivasspor is held to a goalless draw against Konyaspor, and risks losing pole position. Trabzonspor wins over Gençlerbirliği to reinstate its place in the title contention. The news is not good for Fenerbahçe, however, as the Yellow Canaries' free fall continues with a loss against Ankaraspor
After leading the Turkcell Super League for 12 consecutive weeks, Sivasspor lost a huge advantage dropping two points against Konyaspor on Saturday.
Sivasspor was held to a goalless draw, proving coach Bülent Uygun’s previous statements that suggested this would be "the most difficult away game" left on the leader’s fixture.
Uygun’s team was in the driving seat of the league but has given the advantage to Beşiktaş, scheduled to play against Bursaspor later Yesterday.
The match could have gone either way, with Milos Mihajlov missing a clear chance for Konyaspor in the 33rd, only four minutes before Sivasspor forward Herve Tum’s header was denied by the post. Later in the game, it was Sivas’ Pini Balili whose header bounced off the bar in the 80th minute.
Then in the 88th, Cihan Haspolatlı dribbled past Sivasspor goalkeeper Michael Petkovic but went down with the challenge of the Australian. Despite Konya players’ penalty appeals, the referee Bünyamin Gezer waved play on.
Uygun gives credit to both sides
Speaking after the game, Uygun gave credit to both teams for putting on a good performance.
"Two teams tried to play attacking football, and it was a good game," said Uygun. "Sivasspor did anything to win, but we could not get it, due to shots hitting the post and poor finishing." That draw looked much like a loss, but Uygun said that it was important to get a point from Konyaspor.
"Everyone will see how important it is to get one point in an away game with a strong team like Konyaspor," he said. "That point will contribute a lot to us winning the title."
With six games to go, Sivasspor is still in contention, but Uygun implied that there are some powers that do not want his team to win the title.
"For many years, people thought that there would be no title-winning team but the big four, but Sivasspor is an example that any Anatolian team can win the championship with the right planning," said Uygun. "We all know the truth of Turkey. There are people who don’t see an Anatolian team worthy of winning the title, and I don’t see those people worthy of Turkish football."
When asked if his side can handle the pressure of championship, Uygun answered again in his usual assertive way. "Sure we can handle everything, we can handle the world," said the Sivas coach.
Sivasspor will play one of the most crucial games of the season next week, when it welcomes Trabzonspor for a game that is likely to define the fate of top three spots in the league.
Trabzonspor’s rejuvenated form and regained confidence seems to have put the Black Sea Storm back in contention, as it beat Gençlerbirliği 2-0 on Friday.
After four weeks without a win, Trabzonspor beat Hacettepe 4-1 last week to rise to the third spot again. The win over Gençlerbirliği continued its return to form, and helped Trabzonspor get closer to Sivasspor.
Stunning strike by Guinean Yattara
Guinean winger Ibrahima Yattara scored a stunning strike outside the box, capping his Maradona-like dribbles past four players in the 23rd minute. Gökhan Ünal scored the second goal of the game in the 90th minute, ending Trabzonspor’s 70-day period without a home win. "It was a game that we had to win," said coach Ersun Yanal. "It was a morale boost for the games ahead."
It was a poor weekend for Fenerbahçe, who lost 1-0 to Ankaraspor Saturday night.
After virtually losing all hope of winning the title following last weekend’s goalless draw against Galatasaray added by a long list of suspensions due to the brawl in that game, the Yellow Canaries suffered another heavy blow and were knocked down by an only goal by Mehmet Çakır with 16 minutes left to play. Çakır fired a screamer from outside the box to beat the keeper Volkan Babacan, as well as leaving Fenerbahçe coach Luis Aragones hopeless.
"Now winning the title is too difficult," said Aragones. "In football, you never can say everything is over but it is pretty close to impossible."
The Spaniard coach insisted that his side did not deserve to be beaten. "They scored in the only occasion they found," he said. "We dominated the game but could not find a clear chance. But if you ask who is the most culpable for the loss, it is of course me."
Sivasspor was held to a goalless draw, proving coach Bülent Uygun’s previous statements that suggested this would be "the most difficult away game" left on the leader’s fixture.
Uygun’s team was in the driving seat of the league but has given the advantage to Beşiktaş, scheduled to play against Bursaspor later Yesterday.
The match could have gone either way, with Milos Mihajlov missing a clear chance for Konyaspor in the 33rd, only four minutes before Sivasspor forward Herve Tum’s header was denied by the post. Later in the game, it was Sivas’ Pini Balili whose header bounced off the bar in the 80th minute.
Then in the 88th, Cihan Haspolatlı dribbled past Sivasspor goalkeeper Michael Petkovic but went down with the challenge of the Australian. Despite Konya players’ penalty appeals, the referee Bünyamin Gezer waved play on.
Uygun gives credit to both sides
Speaking after the game, Uygun gave credit to both teams for putting on a good performance.
"Two teams tried to play attacking football, and it was a good game," said Uygun. "Sivasspor did anything to win, but we could not get it, due to shots hitting the post and poor finishing." That draw looked much like a loss, but Uygun said that it was important to get a point from Konyaspor.
"Everyone will see how important it is to get one point in an away game with a strong team like Konyaspor," he said. "That point will contribute a lot to us winning the title."
With six games to go, Sivasspor is still in contention, but Uygun implied that there are some powers that do not want his team to win the title.
"For many years, people thought that there would be no title-winning team but the big four, but Sivasspor is an example that any Anatolian team can win the championship with the right planning," said Uygun. "We all know the truth of Turkey. There are people who don’t see an Anatolian team worthy of winning the title, and I don’t see those people worthy of Turkish football."
When asked if his side can handle the pressure of championship, Uygun answered again in his usual assertive way. "Sure we can handle everything, we can handle the world," said the Sivas coach.
Sivasspor will play one of the most crucial games of the season next week, when it welcomes Trabzonspor for a game that is likely to define the fate of top three spots in the league.
Trabzonspor’s rejuvenated form and regained confidence seems to have put the Black Sea Storm back in contention, as it beat Gençlerbirliği 2-0 on Friday.
After four weeks without a win, Trabzonspor beat Hacettepe 4-1 last week to rise to the third spot again. The win over Gençlerbirliği continued its return to form, and helped Trabzonspor get closer to Sivasspor.
Stunning strike by Guinean Yattara
Guinean winger Ibrahima Yattara scored a stunning strike outside the box, capping his Maradona-like dribbles past four players in the 23rd minute. Gökhan Ünal scored the second goal of the game in the 90th minute, ending Trabzonspor’s 70-day period without a home win. "It was a game that we had to win," said coach Ersun Yanal. "It was a morale boost for the games ahead."
It was a poor weekend for Fenerbahçe, who lost 1-0 to Ankaraspor Saturday night.
After virtually losing all hope of winning the title following last weekend’s goalless draw against Galatasaray added by a long list of suspensions due to the brawl in that game, the Yellow Canaries suffered another heavy blow and were knocked down by an only goal by Mehmet Çakır with 16 minutes left to play. Çakır fired a screamer from outside the box to beat the keeper Volkan Babacan, as well as leaving Fenerbahçe coach Luis Aragones hopeless.
"Now winning the title is too difficult," said Aragones. "In football, you never can say everything is over but it is pretty close to impossible."
The Spaniard coach insisted that his side did not deserve to be beaten. "They scored in the only occasion they found," he said. "We dominated the game but could not find a clear chance. But if you ask who is the most culpable for the loss, it is of course me."