Besiiktas wins last Inonu derby

Besiktas made it a night to remember, winning the last Istanbul derby at the team’s venerable ?nönü Stadium with a last-gasp winner from Olcay Sahan in the third minute of injury time in an absorbing Spor Toto Super League clash.

Be?ikta?, which will temporarily play at another ground next season while Dolmabahçe’s ?nönü Stadium is knocked and replaced by a new arena in the same location, badly wanted to vanquish their cross-town rivals in the final derby at the ground, but appeared destined to settle for a 2-2 draw following an excellent performance from the always-excellent Moussa Sow, who scored both goals for the visitors.

With the last touch of the game, however, Olcay poked the ball past Fenerbahce goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, sending the home crowd into raptures with the 3-2 victory.

Fenerbahce thought they had taken the lead in the 19th minute when Pierre Webo poked the ball home following an impressive Dirk Kuyt volley off a corner. The referee’s assistant, however, controversially signaled offside on the play, even though replays showed that there had been no infraction.

Besiktas’s Scottish goalkeeper Allan McGregor was then called on to make a difficult save from Emre Belozoglu’s shot from distance, but he was powerless to keep out Moussa Sow’s short-range, 24th-minute header from the resulting corner.

The hosts began to find their feet after the goal, but missed a critical touch around the final third. The club, however, was rewarded for their pressure in minute 40 when Manuel Fernandes whipped in a free kick from the left side that Kuyt headed into his own goal while trying to defend against Tomas Sivok.

Webo nearly put Fenerbahce back in front in the 56th minute off a corner, but his point-black scissors kick was cleared off the line by Besiktas’s Olcay Sahan.

The home team then forged ahead out of nothing, as Mamadou Niang scored his first goal against his former employers in minute 60 after finding the ball at his feet about eight meters out following a knockdown from a teammate.

Besiktas’s joy was short-lived, however, as Sow equalized just three minutes later from a header.

Fenerbahce appeared to regain the lead just two minutes later, but Webo again saw a strike disallowed, this time for a correct, albeit marginal, offside decision.

Both teams failed to find a winner until Olcay stole the show with one final flourish.

With the victory, Besiktas overtook Fenerbahce for second place in the league standings. The Black Eagles now have 42 points – two more than Fenerbahce and four fewer than leaders Galatasaray.

Besiktas was able to claw into Galatasaray’s lead atop the table after the latter was forced to settle for a 0-0 draw with Eski?ehir away on March 2. Lions’ trainer Fatih Terim was not on the sidelines for the match, as he sat out the first of a three-match ban for dissent in last week’s match versus Orduspor.


/HurriyetDailynews/