Sivas in driving seat as big boys keep suffering
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 23, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - With a crucial victory over Eskişehirspor on a weekend when Fenerbahçe and Trabzon lose, Sivasspor keeps setting the pace on top of the Turkcell Super League. If Sivasspor manages to defeat Fenerbahçe in next weekend’s game, it will probably become the Central Anatolian team’s title to lose
Until now, Sivasspor has been seen like the underdog of winning the Turkcell Super League, but this weekend it proved to be a main contender.
Bülent Uygun's boys, who beat Eskişehirspor 1-0 yesterday, are now
An early goal by Yannick Kamanan, who found the net on the sixth minute, was enough for Sivas. Eskişehirspor managed to create some decent chances for the equalizing goal, but was denied by goalkeeper Michael Petkovic. During the last seconds of the first half, Sivasspor defender Faruk Bayar handballed but the referee waved play on, much to the anger of the visiting side.
Sivas could hit on counter attacks in the second half, but even though the strikers failed to find the second goal, three points were all that mattered.
Sivasspor's win became more important as two title contenders suffered heavy defeats against lowly opponents on Saturday.
Fenerbahçe lost to Gençlerbirliği 1-0, only a few hours after Trabzonspor is downed 2-0 by Denizlispor. Fenerbahçe is now eight points behind leader, while Trabzonspor is trailing by three.
Last week, Fenerbahçe managed to get its first win of in a fascinating way, as it crushed minnow Ankara side Hacettepe 7-0. Another Ankara side Gençlerbirliği ended Fenerbahçe’s honeymoon.
So far, the Yellow Canaries have been dismal in 2009, getting only five points from a possible 15 in league games.
Touch of luck
Mile Jedinak took the lead for Gençlerbirliği in the 14th minute. The Australian midfielder benefited from a touch of luck, as the ball hit Fener’s Deivid De Souza and mistaken goalkeeper Volkan Demirel. However, in the remaining minutes it was Gençlerbirliği who could be counted as unlucky as they missed scoring chance after scoring chance on counterattacks.
Coach Luis Aragones admitted that his side failed to play well after the goal.
"We did not play safe after the goal, left huge spaces while we were attacking for the equalizer," said Aragones. "But we could not break their defense from the middle. We tried to play from the wings, and we failed on that as well."
This was the third time that Fenerbahçe failed to win in Ankara this year. The Istanbul side settled for draws against Hacettepe and Ankaragücü previously. The 19 Mayıs Stadium is known for posing difficult for visiting teams with its artificial turf, which is harder than regular grass.
Some coaches choose to travel to Ankara early to make it easier for his players to adapt to the ground, but Aragones did not opt for that way. "We played here three times, we knew how the circumstances were," said the Spaniard defending his decision. "We needn’t come here early to train on the ground."
Another title contender, Trabzonspor, did not have the turf to blame either, as it saw its long-standing unbeaten streak at home come to an end against Denizlispor.
Veteran defender Rigobert Song said Trabzonspor players could hold their heads high.
"There are days in football that you simply can’t explain," he said. "We had one of those days, but we will not give up."
Song recalled last year’s memories.
"When I was playing for Galatasaray, we had this surprising home win against minnow Kasımpaşa, which was equally unexpected," he said. "But then we got through it and managed to win the title eventually. In times like this, all you need is to stand up and find your morale again."
Bülent Uygun's boys, who beat Eskişehirspor 1-0 yesterday, are now
An early goal by Yannick Kamanan, who found the net on the sixth minute, was enough for Sivas. Eskişehirspor managed to create some decent chances for the equalizing goal, but was denied by goalkeeper Michael Petkovic. During the last seconds of the first half, Sivasspor defender Faruk Bayar handballed but the referee waved play on, much to the anger of the visiting side.
Sivas could hit on counter attacks in the second half, but even though the strikers failed to find the second goal, three points were all that mattered.
Sivasspor's win became more important as two title contenders suffered heavy defeats against lowly opponents on Saturday.
Fenerbahçe lost to Gençlerbirliği 1-0, only a few hours after Trabzonspor is downed 2-0 by Denizlispor. Fenerbahçe is now eight points behind leader, while Trabzonspor is trailing by three.
Last week, Fenerbahçe managed to get its first win of in a fascinating way, as it crushed minnow Ankara side Hacettepe 7-0. Another Ankara side Gençlerbirliği ended Fenerbahçe’s honeymoon.
So far, the Yellow Canaries have been dismal in 2009, getting only five points from a possible 15 in league games.
Touch of luck
Mile Jedinak took the lead for Gençlerbirliği in the 14th minute. The Australian midfielder benefited from a touch of luck, as the ball hit Fener’s Deivid De Souza and mistaken goalkeeper Volkan Demirel. However, in the remaining minutes it was Gençlerbirliği who could be counted as unlucky as they missed scoring chance after scoring chance on counterattacks.
Coach Luis Aragones admitted that his side failed to play well after the goal.
"We did not play safe after the goal, left huge spaces while we were attacking for the equalizer," said Aragones. "But we could not break their defense from the middle. We tried to play from the wings, and we failed on that as well."
This was the third time that Fenerbahçe failed to win in Ankara this year. The Istanbul side settled for draws against Hacettepe and Ankaragücü previously. The 19 Mayıs Stadium is known for posing difficult for visiting teams with its artificial turf, which is harder than regular grass.
Some coaches choose to travel to Ankara early to make it easier for his players to adapt to the ground, but Aragones did not opt for that way. "We played here three times, we knew how the circumstances were," said the Spaniard defending his decision. "We needn’t come here early to train on the ground."
Another title contender, Trabzonspor, did not have the turf to blame either, as it saw its long-standing unbeaten streak at home come to an end against Denizlispor.
Veteran defender Rigobert Song said Trabzonspor players could hold their heads high.
"There are days in football that you simply can’t explain," he said. "We had one of those days, but we will not give up."
Song recalled last year’s memories.
"When I was playing for Galatasaray, we had this surprising home win against minnow Kasımpaşa, which was equally unexpected," he said. "But then we got through it and managed to win the title eventually. In times like this, all you need is to stand up and find your morale again."