Turkish Big Four Showdown: Turkish Super League Derby Weekend Recap
- therookiereporters
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
After the exciting international break, the Turkish Super League returns with a thrilling showdown. In a vital weekend regarding the top spots of Türkiye’s top flight, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Trabzonspor face each other on matchday 28.
Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Trabzonspor are seen as Turkish football’s “Big Four” considering the amount of their domestic success and continental reputation. These same four teams are currently occupying the top 4 spots in the Turkish Super League as well. Galatasaray is leading the pack with 64 points with a game in hand. Then come Fenerbahce in 2nd and Trabzonspor in 3rd, tied on 60 points and Besiktas follows from an 8 points gap to these two. With 7 weeks left to play for, Trabzonspor hosts the Lions in Trabzon on Saturday and Fenerbahce hosts the Black Eagles in Istanbul on Sunday. This is a rare occasion in Turkish football, for only the 12th time in league’s history, the Big Four are playing against each other on the same matchday. With so much at stake, tensions are high, every point is golden and the Turkish top flight is ready to put on a spectacle.
April 4th, Saturday - Trabzonspor (3rd) vs Galatasaray (1st)
The match begins rapidly, as Trabzonspor finds the net with the first shot of the game. Right-back Wagner Pina dribbles past two Galatasaray players on the right wing and crosses, Nigerian striker Onuachu headers the ball into the net as the ex-Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir watches standing. With the early lead, Fatih Tekke’s Trabzonspor took the momentum and control at home. Subkov, Felipe Augusto and Nwakaeme attempt to extend Trabzonspor’s lead, but they can’t find the target. Okan Buruk’s Gala gets the first shot on target around the 30th minute, when Lemina heads the ball coming from a corner, but the United-loanee Andre Onana parries it away. Towards the end of the first half, Savić sent a brilliant pass with the outside of his foot to Onuachu, he dribbled to the box and cleared Davinson Sánchez in the process and put the ball to the Lions’ goal once again. However, the hosts’ goal gets ruled out due to offside and the first half ends with 1-0 Trabzonspor lead.
In the second half, Galatasaray flips the script on Trabzonspor with a rapid start of their own. Ivorian right-back Wilfried Singo completes Baris Alper Yilmaz’s cross to the far post with a first-time shot and equalises for Gala in the 48th minute. Only 2 minutes later, Yilmaz fouls Pina in a way that needs further observation on the VAR monitor for a possible red card, but the referee sticks with the first yellow card he’s given him after the foul. In the 62nd minute, Trabzonspor finds the second goal, when Nwakaeme crosses from a set piece and Chibuike Nwaiwu scores a header to give them the lead. A few minutes later, both teams missed big chances to score goals with Oleksandr Subkov and Mario Lemina. In the remaining minutes, Tekke’s men focus on defending the lead rather than scoring more, as the Lions take the ball possession and put the pressure on the hosts. However, other than new-sub Yáser Asprilla’s long-range close call, Galatasaray can’t create much threat to the hosts and Trabzonspor beat the leaders 2-1 at their home. Tensions rise after the game and during the heated arguments, Galatasaray captain Bardakci receives a second yellow and a red card in the end.
April 5th, Sunday - Fenerbahce (2nd) vs Besiktas (4th)
The game begins as swiftly as Saturday's derby. Winger Dorgeles Nene missed the target inside Besiktas’ box in the first minute. Sergen Yalcin’s Black Eagles respond with their own attacks, but Jayden Oosterwolde denies Junior Olaitan first and then Vaclav Cerny as well, after ex-City goalie Ederson parries Hyeon-gyu Oh’s dangerous header. In the 24th minute, Domenico Tedesco had to sub Fred in for an injured Marco Asensio. Anderson Talisca shoots from the freekick in the next minute, but Besiktas keeper Ersin Destanoglu stretches to make the save. Towards the end of the first half, the Black Eagles transitioned from defense to offense with quick passing play and Orkun Kökcü shot from distance. However, Ederson denied the Turkish international once again and so the first half ended in a goalless draw.
Besiktas was also forced to make a change starting the second half, as their Panaman right-back Amir Murillo suffered from concussion in the halftime and rushed to the hospital. In the second half, the Yellow Canaries took control and forced Besiktas to defend. The 56th minute provides thrilling moments in the game. First Matteo Guendouzi’s shot from outside the box is saved by Destanoglu and then in the quickly-used corner, the Frenchman’s cross is headed to Besiktas’ own net by the freshly-subbed Gökhan Sazdagi. However, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review due to offside, also caused by Guendouzi. In the remaining minutes, Tedesco’s Fenerbahce kept putting more pressure on the Black Eagles. But despite all the mistakes they force defenders to make and openings they find, Ersin Destanoglu steps up and keeps Besiktas in the game. The 25-year old goalie raised from Besiktas youth academy makes 5 saves to fend off the Canaries. Just when everyone thinks a goalless draw is at hand, a pivotal decision is made that changes the fate of the derby. In the 90+8th minute, Guendouzi sends a long ball to Dorgeles Nene, who is dribbling behind the defence, the Malian winger gets the ball and dribbles towards the Besiktas box. Coming from behind, Ex-Wolves centre back Emmanuel Agbadou catches him and makes an interception, the referee calls for a penalty. The decision raises many eyebrows because of the process of interception and after the VAR review, the penalty decision stands. Kerem Aktürkoglu, who scored Türkiye’s only goal against Kosovo earlier in the week, converts the penalty to a goal and Fenerbahce beats Besiktas at home 1-0 in the dying minutes.
These results mean that Galatasaray remains in the lead with 64 points with a game in hand, but both of Lions’ championship rivals are now breathing down their neck from a point behind. With 6 matchdays left to play for, the title battle goes down to the wire. Besiktas was barely considered a challenger coming into the matchday 28 and after the derby defeat, they’ll most likely shift their focus to the Turkish Cup and to keep the Conference League spot at hand. The Black Eagles are yet to win a derby game in the league this season and this may raise big concerns amongst the fans. Trabzonspor made a powerful statement against the reigning champions of Türkiye and currently the Black Sea team is the one at top form, led by their Nigerian goal machine Paul Onuachu. Fenerbahce would be relieved after the late win and keep the hunt going. The Canaries had the game mostly under control and found many opportunities to score, a draw at home under these conditions could be disheartening, but they found a way to win in the end. However, their vital win against the Black Eagles will probably be overshadowed by heated discussions and pundit analysis about the stoppage time penalty decision. Without their key players Osimhen and Sara, Galatasaray took a crucial hit in the title fight and struggled with both creativity and attack. In their absence, Gala becomes a completely different team.
In conclusion, for better or worse, a thrilling football weekend in Türkiye came to an end with Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce victories over their domestic rivals. As the title race goes down to the wire, we’ll see who’ll go through their fixtures with the least damage and prevail in the Turkish Super League.
Article written by Emre Albas © Emre Albas 2026
