| BODY BLOW | GS 1 FB 0 |
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| Written by Jem Djemal | ||||||
| Sunday, 27 April 2008 | ||||||
 A vital mistake by Volkan Demirel in the 37th minute gifted Shabani Nonda with the only goal of the derby showdown. This 1-0 win gives Galatasaray the vital edge in the Turkcell Super Lig championship race.
As a spectacle this match did not live up to its billing, chances were at a premium and it took a freak goalkeeping error to determine the match winner. However, those associated with Galatasaray could not care less as they have taken a giant leap towards their 17th league championship.
The winning goal came after a long up and under by Baris which Volkan charged from his goal line to claim. What seemed a routine catch somehow ended up with the Fenerbahce goalkeeper colliding with Edu and flapping at the ball allowing Nonda to nod in perhaps the easiest goal of his career. Pinning this defeat on Volkan’s mistake alone with be naive as the entire Fenerbahce team performed poorly and if this game was a boxing match Galatsaray would have won it points anyway. Only one team turned up to play and it was them. Umit Karan had already rattled the post before the Congolese striker scored, whereas Fenerbahce conjured up only one chance the entire match and that fell to Alex de Souza's right (wrong?) foot. Nonda’s sucker punch delivered a huge body blow to Fenerbahce’s title hopes. However the upside of losing 1-0 is the Yellow Canaries have the better head-to-head result after winning the first match 2-0 at home. Should Sivasspor beat Galatasaray at home and Fenerbahce defeat Genclerbirligi next week, the Kadikoy club will go back on top.
So there could still yet be a final twist in the tale of this topsy turvey season although it must be said that Fenerbahce’s title hopes now hang on a wing and a prayer.
anglofeb Men-of-the-Match: Mateja Kezman & Deivid de Souza The only Fenerbahce players that actually tried to make something happened even though their efforts were in vein.
GALATASARAY: Aykut, Sabri (Mehmet Güven 90+1), Emre, Servet, Hakan Balta, Barış, Ayhan, Mehmet Topal, Arda, Nonda (Hakan Şükür 62), Ümit Karan (Song 78)
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