VOLKAN - LINCOLN FIGHT IN FORTIS CUP MATCH

Photo:www.Ligtv.com.tr

Two biggest teams in Turkey..... Galatasaray and Fenerbahce..

They met again in the Fortis cup quarter final match.....


There were a lot of unnecessary cards were giving by Match referee Cuneyt Cakir...

Four red cards and 14 yellow cards....

Diego Lugano, Gokhan Gonul,Volkan Demirel from Fenerbahce and Cassio Lincoln of Galatasaray were all sent off.......

Fenerbahce was the better team on the pitch !.....

But, in the injury time, Galatasaray scored a last minute goal by Umit Karan..

After the goal.......,That's when ugly scene,Volkan- Lincoln fight started!....

It was ugly.... this is how started...

After the goal, Volkan picks the ball from inside the goal.... Lincoln, at the same time tells Volkan to give him the ball.....that is when the conversation starts between Volkan and Lincoln..... According to Volkan, Lincoln swears at Volkan...
"F... you mom, f... your wife " than Volkan runs after Lincoln and knees him around the crotch area......and Lincoln drops on the pitch..... than both of them got a red card for fighting.....
Watch the whole seen at the bottom link.......
http://www.ligtv.com.tr/Default.aspx?r=1&hid=34549

GALATASARAY ELIMINATES FENERBAHCE IN FORTIS CUP

Galatasaray beat Fenerbahce 2-1 in an Istanbul derby Wednesday night and eliminated its arch rival in the Turkish Federeation Cup.

The referee sent off three Fenerbahce players as the Istanbul team finished the game with only 8 players.

Galatasaray's winner came at injury time by Umit Karan.

The two teams had played to a goalless draw in the first leg game

FC Seoul Coach Senol Gunes ready for Beckham clash

FC Seoul's boss Senol Gunes is looking forward to finalizing pre-season preparations with a friendly against LA Galaxy and David Beckham this weekend.

The K-League team provide the first opposition for the MLS club on their East Asian tour.

"This is our last game before the season starts," Gunes told reporters. "We will do our very best."

Seoul kick-off their season on March 9 with a tough game at home to Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.

"We have held pre-season training camps in Japan and Turkey," the former Turkish national team coach added.

"The 2008 season starts now. The players got a chance in 2007 to get some playing time under their belts."

Gunes took charge of the capital outfit in January 2007 and enjoyed a mixed season, taking Seoul into seventh.

He expects a higher placing this season.

"Our target is to win the league. The club has high expectations and it wont be easy but we are ready."

FORTIS CUP TIME...WILL IT BE GALATASARAY OR FENERBAHCE?.....

Galatasaray will host the game against Fenerbahçe which is the second game of quarter finals in Turkish Cup at Ali Sami Yen stadium.The game will start at 20.00. local time(1:00 ET ).The winner of the game between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce will be defined tonight.The previous game between the two teams had ended with a score of 0-0.
The revenge game will be at Ali Sami Yen stadium. The game will be broadcast live on Lig TV.The winner team will qualify for the semi-finals as the first game ended with a tie.
Also, Besiktas hosts Caykur Rizespor, Kayserispor will be home against Genclerbirligi OFTAS Spor .
On Tuesday, Genlerbirligi was the first team to qualified to play in Semi-Finals.
Genclerbirligi 2-2 AdanaDemirspor.

ESPN:Fenerbahce plan glorious decade

Dominic Raynor,ESPN

'We will be like Chelsea, AC Milan or Real Madrid within 10 years. This is inevitable.'


Those are the words of Fenerbahçe's ambitious president Aziz Yilidrim, who got slightly over excited after presiding over the Turkish champions' first foray into the knockout stages of the Champions League after five attempts.

Possibly delirious after breaking the Turkish record for points accrued in the group phase of Europe's premier competition, beating arch-rivals Galatasaray's total of ten points by a single digit, Yilidrim was happy to tell anybody who would listen that Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü have arrived.

'The next 10 years will be for Fenerbahçe, everyone should accept that,' he said. 'We have not yet reached our full potential, but Fenerbahçe has taken the first step on the way to further growth.'

Yilidrim's bullish statement preceded the Yellow Canaries' 3-2 home win against FC Sevilla in the first leg of their last 16 clash and we can only imagine how he will ratchet up the rhetoric if they manage to maintain their advantage and squeeze into the quarter-finals.

And while Yilidrim's claims that the club can be elevated to the level of the former G14 cartel within a decade might be a bit fanciful there is no doubt that dramatic change has taken place at Fenerbahçe since he succeeded ex-chairman Ali Sen in 1998.

The former construction tycoon has increased the capacity of the Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium to 52,500, sold 16% of the club's shares and trademarked Fenerbahçe. But despite increasing his organisation's revenue he is a long way off matching his idolised trio in the top five of football's rich list.

Fenerbahçe are also a long way from being a credible alternative to Europe's established clubs for the world's best players but the Turkish club have certainly attracted some top talent to boost their profile around the globe; including Chelsea's newest recruit, £15million striker Nicolas Anelka.

The French international, who has cost more in cumulative transfer fees than any player in history at £84.8 million, joined the club for £7million in 2005 as part of Fenerbahçe's budget version of the galatico era that also saw Argentina international Ariel Ortega, Ukrainian striker Serhiy Rebrov and Dutch striker Pierre van Hooijdonk pass through the club.

In Zico the club now has a coach with enough gravitas to attract further household names and in the summer the former Brazil international was instrumental in attracting compatriot and World Cup winner Roberto Carlos to the club.

The former Real Madrid left-back joined Alex de Souza, another Brazilian, who has won 48 caps for his country, Dutch Eredivisie golden boot winner Mateja Kezman and highly-rated Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah in the clubs increasing pool of recognizable talent.

If Fenerbahçe can squeeze past Sevilla into the quarter-finals of the Champions League the club may well embark on a glorious decade as Yilidrim predicts but the Yellow Canaries will never fly as high as Europe's established clubs because history is against them.

It is the same reason that Chelsea, despite their riches and success, will never be in the same bracket as Juventus, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and their peers; clubs simply can't buy a glorious European past, even in these days of billionaire oligarchs.

History puts two of Yildirim's triple targets in AC Milan and Real Madrid out of reach but if he can mastermind Fenerbahçe's continued rise for the next ten years the Turkish club can aspire to become one of Europe's new powers - not unlike his third target Chelsea.

If you have any thoughts you can email Dominic Raynor.
dom.raynor@soccernet.com

TURKCELL SUPER LEAGUE SUNDAY WRAP

AFTER FENERBAHCE, GALATASARAY GOES DOWN IN THEIR HOME TURF!


I know one thing ,there is no consistency with our Turkish top teams!..

They cant just handle two matches in one week!...

Just because, you are playing in European competation ,that does not mean, that you have to lose your league matches.

First, Fenerbahce,after a big win against Sevilla in the mid-week , on Saturday, loss at home against Bursaspor, the team that is really struggling in the league!..

Bursaspor was the last team beat Fenerbahce at their home turf, 37 match before. and they beat them again on Saturday ,with the score 2-0 and both goals scored by Sinan.


On Sunday, the other team(Galatasaray), that played UEFA Cup match in Germany on Thursday and demolish by Lavernkusen, was on their home turf against the last team in the league Kasimpasaspor

They look like ,they were the one last place team!...

Galatasaray, just when they could open the gap between Fenerbahce ,they kept the the top spot with only one point difference (51).

Besiktas, the team who played on Friday and won, seem like, was the lucky one at the end of week 23Th.

After, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce not winning their match, and last week's third place team Sivaspor, drawing at home, made Besiktas, again top contender for the top spot.

Next weekend, will be another derby match between Galatasaray and Besiktas...the winner will gain a big advantage an route to the top spot.......

In the middle week, Galatasaray will face Fenerbahce in the Fortis Turkish Cup...

Here are the other scores from Sunday.....

Ankaraspor 0- 3 Kayserispor
Sivasspor 0-0 Caykur Rizespor
İstanbul Büyüksehir Belediyespor 1- 2 Ankaragücü
Trabzonspor 2- 2 Vestel Manisaspor

TURKCELL SUPER LEAGUE SATURDAY WRAP:

BURSASPOR UPSET FENERBAHACE AT HOME!...

Fenerbahce have failed to take their UEFA Champions League form into the domestic league as they fell 2-0 at home to mid-table Bursaspor.

The champions made several changes from the side which beat Sevilla in mid-week, and fell behind to a Sinan Kaloglu penalty after 28 minutes.

The first-half substitute grabbed his second with five minutes remaining, ending Fenerbahce's run of four wins and leaving them a point behind league leaders Galatasaray, who face Kasimpasa later this weekend.

Genclerbirligi continued their revival by trashing Konyaspor 6-1 in Ankara.

Mehmet Nas opened the scoring after only three minutes, before Okan Ozturk's brace after 19 and 39 minutes.

Yusuf Kurtulus pulled one back on the stroke of half-time, but further goals from Engin Baytar, Isaac Promise and Burhan Eser completed the rout.

In the day's other game, Genclerbirligi OFTAS recovered from two straight defeats to claim a draw at Gaziantepspor.

The visitors took the lead with a Ergun Penbe own goal after eight minutes, but da Silva Beto equalised from the penalty spot five minutes later.

Nikola Petkovic was sent off for Genclerbirligi OFTAS with 17 minutes remaining, but they held on for a 1-1 draw.

ON FRIDAY
Besiktas maintained their pressure on the top two after a comfortable win at Denizlispor on Saturday (AEDT).

Two goals in two first-half minutes from Filip Holosko (31) and Mert Nobre (33) ensured the points for the Istanbul side, who are now two points behind leaders Galatasaray and one behind second-placed Fenerbahce.

Serhat Gulpinar's 81st-minute reply was a mere consolation for the hosts, who remain seventh in the standings.

Besiktas midfielder Ali Tandogan was sent-off in the 62nd minute but Denizlispor could not capitalise on the numerical advantage.

WORST DEFEAT FOR GALATASARAY IN UEFA CUP

Galatasaray's Hakan Sukur reacts during the UEFA Cup third round soccer match against Bayer Leverkusen in Leverkusen February 21, 2008.
Photo:REUTERS

The team we all came to love as a Turkish citizen in the mid 90's,who was know as lyons of Turkey, Galatasaray,was handed the worst defeat in the UEFA cup, by German team ,Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 5-1.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen defeated Galatasaray 5-1 on third round second leg match in Germany on Thursday. Galatasaray was disqualified from the cup.


Stadium: Bay Arena

Referees: Damir Skomina, Primoz Arhar, Marko Stancin (Slovakia)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Fernandez, Haggui, Friedrich, Cartro, Rolfes, Kiesling (mink. 73 Gekas), Vidal, Schneider (min. 76 Dum), Barbarez (min. 64 Schwegler), Barnetta, Sarpei.

Galatasaray: Orkun, Emre, Servet, Baris, Mehmet Topal (min. 46 Sabri), Ayhan (min. 68 Barusso), Serkan (min. 46 Lincoln), Arda, Volkan, Hakan Sukur, Umit.

Scorers: Barbarez (min. 11, 22), Kiesling (min. 13), Haggui (min. 55), Schneider (min. 60 penalty) (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Barusso (min. 87 penalty) (Galatasaray)

WATCH FENERBAHCE V SEVILLA MATCH GOALS...

You will here great Turkish Football(soccer) play by play announcer, Halit Kivanc, as a Commentator along with another great of his time, Ilker Yasin, in this video.

FANTASTIC FINISH BY FENERBAHCE .....

Competition between Kezman and Semih for Fenerbahce Uniform paid off well for Fenerbahce.A lot of columnist in Turkey, had writing off Kezman but, Kezman proved them wrong again!....Kezman open the gate in the 17nth minute and super sub Semih Senturk who came in for Kezman in the 84nth minute of the match and scored the winning goal when the match was 2-2...

Mateja Kezman put the hosts ahead in the 17nth minute with a header off a cross from left winger Ugur Boral, but defender Edu Dracena scored an own-goal — his second in the Champions League — in the 23rd to even the score.
Fenerbahce again took the lead when center back Diego Lugano scored in the 57nth with a header off a corner kick by playmaker Alex de Souza.

Sevilla defender Julien Escude then equalized again from close range in the 66nth.
Super Sub Semih Senturk,scored the winning goal in the 87nth minute Wednesday, helping Fenerbahce beat Sevilla 3-2 in the first leg of the second round of the Champions League.

Fenerbahce vs Sevilla Line-ups

The probable starting line-ups are:
Fenerbahce (4-4-2)
1 V. Demirel
77 G. Gonul
2 D. Lugano
36 E. Dracena
3 R. Carlos
21 S. Selcuk
15 M. Aurelio
99 D. Deivid
25 U. Boral
20 Alex
9 M. Kezman
Sevilla (4-4-2)
1 A. Palop
4 D. Alves
6 A. Correira
14 J. Escudé
3 I. Dragutinovic
21 S. Keita
8 C. Poulsen
7 J. Navas
17 D. Capel
12 F. Kanoute
10 L. Fabiano

FENERBAHCE FIRST TIME IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

In the mid-nineties and beginning of year 2000, Galatasaray was the team made a lot of noise,in The UEFA compations....Now, Fenerbahce is making statement in the European competitions thanks to Brazilian connection.
After Roberto Carlos signing in the beginning of this season, Fenerbahce is the most talked team in the European competitions, these days.


Fenerbahce will be making its first appearance in the second round of the Champions League on Wednesday when it hosts Sevilla.


Under the Brazilian coach Zico,Fenerbahce won all three group games at home against Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow, and only lost at Inter. The team's vulnerable defense is offset in attack with Brazilian playmaker Alex de Souza supported by an aggressive midfield.

Fenerbahce president Aziz Yilidrim: "We will be like Chelsea, AC Milan or Real Madrid"

Fenerbahce president Aziz Yilidrim, who just celebratated the 10 years this past week, said He want to make Fenerbahce like Chelsea,AC Milan and Real Madrid, in the next ten years.....

"The next 10 years will be for Fenerbahce, everyone should accept that," he said.

Fener have won all their home Champions League games this season, conceding just one goal in the process.


Sevilla, which has won the UEFA Cup for the last two years, will have to deal with Sukru Saracoglu Stadium and rowdy Fenerbahce fans...I think, 12th man in the stands will make a huge impact on Sevilla....


The snow has been cleared from the Sukrü Saracoglu Stadium pitch.

one dip note about Fenerbahce, Roberto Carlos is the second most experience player in the Champions League behind Raul.Roberto Carlos played with Real Madrid eleven season and he know the Sevilla team... with his leadership Fenerbahce pull a upset in Historical Istanbul Tonight!...
The match will start at 2:45 ET,( New York Time)
You could follow the score at www.turkishsoccer.com

FATIH TERIM GIVES INTERVIEW ON FIFA .COM

Turkish National team coach Fatih Terim , gave recent interview to FIFA.com.

Here is the interview.....

Terim: Football is our passion

There are many footballing clichés, one of which being that sweepers make the best coaches. Current Turkey supremo Fatih Terim is certainly proof of this, the 54-year-old former defensive lynchpin proving highly successful since swapping his boots for the proverbial clipboard.

Turkey have long been considered one of world football's sleeping giants, due to a combination of the incredible passion of the fans and a seemingly endless pool of talented players. And it is widely accepted on the banks of the Bosporus that Terim is the one who has accelerated the awakening. Since he took over, Turkey qualified for the UEFA EURO 1996 - the first time they had reached the final phase of a major tournament since the 1954 FIFA World Cup ™. This very much started the ball rolling for Turkey who finished an incredible third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.

He then went on to coach at Galatasaray, Fiorentina and AC Milan, before taking up the national team reins again in 2005. He resigned in January 2006, only to be talked into taking the job on for a third time a mere 11 days later. His next challenge will be to make his team the surprise package at the EURO 2008 in Switzerland and Austria. The man known in his home country as the Emperor due to his strong leadership qualities took time out to give FIFA.com an exclusive interview.

FIFA,com: Could you describe in a few sentences what football means for the people of Turkey? Fatih Terim: Turkey is a footballing nation in every way. The approach, love and passion for this sport are empowered by the young people of our country. Football goes beyond entertainment and has become a passion for our country. Clubs are growing financially and the footballing economy is on the rise as well.

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan,Turkey made it all the way to third place. Fenerbahce have reached the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League for the first time and your national team have booked their ticket for EURO 2008. What has changed in Turkish football to bring about this return to success?
Turkey's international success story started with 1996 European Championship qualification. The potential created in that period brought the country to the success of third place in FIFA World Cup 2002. The aim of the Turkish national team is to participate in all major competitions and create a Turkish school, called "e'cole", of football. Fenerbahce's success in the Champions League is important for Turkish football, as is the case with other clubs.

For you personally, is being the coach of your country the perfect job?
It is true that by being the national team coach, I have the responsibility to shape the course of Turkish football and decide its objectives. However, there is much more to the job than that.

As a player, you wereTurkey's highest-capped international for a long time. Now you are the most recognised Turkish football coach. Which do you prefer: being a player or being a coach?
First of all I love the game of football. It does not matter whether I am playing or making my team play. What matters is being involved actively in the game.

Turkish footballers are regarded as some of the best in Europe when it comes to skill, technique and touch. What do you put this down to?
When we qualified for EURO 96 we brought about a mentality change as well, which I call a revolution. In that period, Turkey did not have a single player playing abroad. With the mentality change, we taught our players to win instead of trying not to lose. That change led to Turkish players playing for European clubs and opened the path to success in the FIFA World Cup 2002.

Many top Turkish players, such as the Altintop twins, grew up outside of their home country. Do you see a difference between them and the Turkish-born players in terms of mentality and quality?
Certainly there is an important difference between our players brought up in abroad and the ones who have lived all their lives in Turkey. Quality is individual and unique. You can work on quality all over the world and get more or less the same results. Mentality on the other hand is very personal, it affects the players' performance in terms of the social background and environment.

Let's talk about the upcoming EURO 2008. What do you think of your three opponents in Group A -Switzerland, CzechRepublic and Portugal?
If you look at the FIFA World Ranking, our opponents have had a stable position over the last two years. They have changed slightly but no drastic changes or high performances. Portugal were the runners-up at EURO 2004 and they are in eighth spot in the World Ranking. Czech Republic, meanwhile, were EURO 96 finalists and they occupy fifth place. Switzerland are in 44th but they have the advantage of playing at home. We aim to continue the rising trend of Turkish football in this tournament.

Who are your tournament favourites?
In today's football I think all 16 participating teams can become champions. I don't think that you can pick one name but I can tell that the championship race will come down to small details as there is not much difference between those teams.

What can Turkey achieve at EURO 2008? What are your goals?
The aim of the Turkish national team is to go as far as possible in every tournament we are in. We are a good team and we have gifted players. We will back up our quality with talent and work for the best finish possible.

Who are the key players in your current squad?
Like all the teams at EURO 2008, we have key players. In today's football key players do matter, but key plays matter more.

Final question, looking to the future. Does Turkey have the potential to win a FIFA World Cup? What can you achieve at the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010?
All World Cup winners have come from South America and Europe. 2010 is the first time that Africa is hosting this prestigious event. I think African teams have a better chance than ever to win this tournament, given their ever-increasing potential. But we want a European team to win, like at the last World Cup.

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=693408.html

GALATASARAY RETAKES THE TOP SPOT FROM FENERBAHCE...

After not playing on Sunday ,because of heavy snow , the match played Today in Konya . Galatasaray won the match with Umit Karan's only goal. The winning goal came at 59th minute.

Galatasaray, who have lost crucial preparation time ahead of Thursday's UEFA Cup last-32 second-leg encounter with Bayer Leverkusen, which is locked at 0-0 following the first leg in Istanbul last week.

The three points take Karl-Heinz Feldkamp's Galatasaray a point clear of Fenerbahce , while defeat for Konyaspor leaves Konya in 12th place, just four points clear of the relegation zone.

GALATASARAY GAME POSTPONED!...

Turkish Turkcell Super League match between Konyaspor and Galatasaray waw postponed because of heavy snow. The match will try to play on Monday if the weather permits.

In the mean time there were other games on Sunday played in The Turkcell Super League
Kasimpasa 1- 0 Denizlispor
Manisaspor 1- 2 Genclerbirligi
Kayserispor 3-1 Gaziantepspor
Ankaragucu 0- 2 Trabzonspor

SATURDAY WRAP IN THE TURKCELL SUPER LEAGUE.....

IT IS SNOW BALL IN THE TURKCELL SUPER LEAGUE!.....

Besiktas wins with late Goal and Sivaspor won in away match.

Two teams ,fighting to stay behind Galatasaray and Fenerbahce won their match on Saturday. In early match Sivasspor beat Gencler OFTAS team in Ankara with Mehmet Yildiz's only goal and kept the third place this week. On the other hand Besiktas was at home against Ankaraspor , in the snowy Inonu stadium Besiktas was up one time two zip, but almost lost the match!....Ankaraspor tied the match in the last ten minutes nad Besiktas scored the winning goal in the last minute of injury time. Besiktas goals scored by Mert Nobre (11) ,Filip Holosko(61 ), Ibrahim Toraman(90). Ankarspor goals scored by Antonio De Nigris(83 )(86 ).
Also on Saturday Bursaspor tied with Istanbul B.B. at home 2-2.

FENERBAHCE ON TOP OF THE TURKISH SUPER LEAGUE

Fenerbahce is moving on, in the Turkish Turkcell Super league... Just before the big show down in the Champions League Match against Sevilla this coming Wednesday.
They beat Caykur Rizespor 4-2 in away match.and they did it with "Batman" Mateja Kezman ....Hello!.....Turkish soccer columnist who don't like Kezman!.....

I have a bad news for you guys(Turkish soccer Columnist)!.... he is back!.......

Two goals from Mateja Kezman helped Fenerbahce return to the top after a 4-2 success at Caykur Rizespor on Friday.

Having fallen behind to Altan Aksoy's 17th-minute strike, the visitors were ruthless in their response with Deivid restoring parity on the half-hour mark before Kezman struck twice in the 32nd and 44th minute.

Selcuk Sahin then made it 4-1 on the stroke of half-time, and although Aksoy pulled a goal back for the home side, Fenerbahce held firm.

The win moves them two points ahead of Galatasaray in the standings until Sunday, while Rizespor stay in the bottom three....well, the Rizespor is the another team changes their coaches like we change our shirt!.....For that reason , just like Vestel Manisaspor they will find them self in the sifferent division next season.

NEW ERA AND NEW BOSS IN TURKISH FOOTBALL(SOCCER)!...

Hasan Dogan has been elected the 37th president of the Turkish Football(soccer) Association (TFF)in Ankara.


Hasan Dogan collected 222 votes out of a possible 232. A businessman Dogan has very close ties with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

The other names elected to executive board are,MAHMUT ÖZGENER,MEHMET ALİ AYDINLAR,TUNCAY KARARTISERDAR GÜZELAYDIN,ZAFER YILDIRIM,ARİF KOŞAR,SERVET YARDIMCI,LEVENT KIZIL,OĞUZ ÇARMIKLIMEHMET BAYKAN,YUNUS EGEMENOĞLU,SÜLEYMAN ATAL, UFUK ÖZERTEN.

MISS OPPORTUNITIES FOR GALATASARAY ! ..

Galatasaray failed to capitalise on a number of chances as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their UEFA Cup last-32 tie.

Leverkusen's attack struggled to create any clear openings, but coach Michael Skibbe will still be pleased with the result on a snowy night in Turkey.

Neither side was able to fashion any sort of chance in a scrappy first quarter-of-an-hour, although it was Karl Heinz Feldkamp's side who showed the greater adventure.

And they tested Rene Adler in the 28th minute, but the Leverkusen keeper did a fine job of keeping out Umit Karan's shot from the right.

Leverkusen were unable to take advantage of a major mistake in the 31st minute by Galatasaray defender Emre Gungor, whose attempted clearance deflected off Sergej Barbarez and directly to Stefan Kiessling.

But Emre made up for his error by intercepting Barbarez's pass as he looked to launch a breakaway.

Arda Turan had a fine chance seven minutes before the break for the Turks, but his header from five yards went just over Adler's crossbar.

Leverkusen again breathed a sign of relief when Hakan Sukur beat his marker and crossed to Umit Karan, who could only chip his effort into Adler's arms from eight yards.

Leverkusen continued to offer little going forward, Tranquillo Barnetta's cross-shot which went wide of the upright the pick of their chances.

Galatasaray though had two chances in quick succession after 70 minutes as Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker's misplaced pass was intercepted by Umit Karan, who blasted well off-target.

Sukur was then denied as he ran on to a throughball, Adler rushing out to claim the ball at his feet.

And Freier on the post cleared Mehmet Topal's back heel with 10 minutes remaining.

Leverkusen looked to snatch a winner at the death, but Galatasaray nearly stole the advantage three minutes into injury time as Adler parried a long-range shot straight to the feet of Shabani Nonda, who blasted well over the crossbar.

Stadium: Ali Sami Yen

Referees: Lucilio Cardoso Cortez Batista, Joao Santos Ferreira, Sergio Lacroix (Portugal)

Galatasaray: Orkun, Ugur, Emre, Servet, Volkan (min. 84 Lincoln), Baris, Mehmet Topal, Ayhan (min. 66 Hakan Balta), Arda, Umit, Hakan Sukur (min. 79 Nonda)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Adler, Castror, Friedrichr, Callson, Sarpeir, Schneiderr (min. 62 Freierr), Vidalr (min. 86 Schwegler), Rolfes, Barnetta, Kiebling, Barbarez

A NEW FENERBAHCE ENGLISH WEB SITE...

Dear Turkish soccer fans and Fenerbahce fans....you have a another English web site beside my good friend Nathan Redd's http://www.fenerbahceworldwide.org,,,,and itis called www.Anglofeb.com

Three College students from Turkey who are Fenerbahce fans decided to build a Fenerbahce Globel community, online .

It is a damm good web site.... don't forget to check it out.....
www.Anglofeb.com

Galatasaray takes on Leverkusen

Galatasaray will play Bayer 04 Leverkusen in UEFA Cup third round first leg match in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Ghanian player Ahmed Barusso, who just signed a contract with Galatasary, as well as midfielders Hasan Sas and Tobias Linderoth will not be able to play against German squad due to their injuries.

The match will kick off at Istanbul's Ali Sami Yen Stadium at 7:45 p.m.local time.

Portuguese trio Lucilio Cardoso Cortez Batista, Joao Ferreira, Sergio Lacroix will referee the match.

TURKCELL SUPER LEAGUE SATURDAY WRAP

GALATASARAY THRASH MANISASPOR AND YILMAZ VURAL!

Vestel Manisaspor is like Day and Night, theese days!...

It is very hard to noticed them now.......................

During the Winter transfer season , and just this past week , troubled Manisaspor, brought in a few young blood transfers and Former TV commentator now part time coach Yimaz Vural , put a new keeper in the goal and two new defenders against team like Galatasaray !....so, in twenty seven minutes, Galatasaray scored three goals!....

After that, Part time coach Mr.Vural, took out, the one of the defender that he transfered from Trabzonspor ,Celaleddin, at the end of first half of the match.
Yimaz Vural might just be a bad luck for Manisaspor!...
Last year, the team he coached, Antalyaspor, also said good-bye to Turkcell Super League too!....Manisaspor might just do that with Mr. Vural this year.
The problem is realy is not Mr. Vural , it is the team officials who change coaches, like we change our shirts...please read my article about this matter....GIRAY BULAK SACKED BY VESTEL MANISASPOR!

HAKAN SUKUR SCORES HAT -TRICK.....

Galatasaray went four points clear at the top of the Turkish Turkcell Super League with an emphatic 6-3 win against Manisaspor on Saturday.

Baris Ozbek opened the scoring after seven minutes and Hakan Sukur doubled Galatasaray's advantage with a 23rd-minute strike.

Arda Turan's penalty four minutes later made it 3-0 and when Sukur completed his brace two minutes after half-time it looked like the game was over as a contest.

Selcuk Inan pulled a goal back for lowly Manisaspor, but Umit Karan restored the hosts' four-goal advantage, before Inan and Burak Yilmaz halved the deficit.

Sukur completed his hat-trick, and the scoring, seven minutes from time to condemn Manisaspor to a place in the bottom three.


BESIKTAS AND ERTUGRUL SAGLAM JUST CAN'T BEAT KAYSERISPOR THIS SEASON!......

Kayseri is the place where Ertugrul Saglam made his name as a young upcoming coach,but, as a Besiktas coach Saglam is having hard time beating them !...
Besiktas loss to Kayserispor in Kayseri on Saturday and the six game winning streak ended.

Koray Colgecen opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time and the visitors had a mountain to climb when Rodrigo Tello was sent off.

Substitute Gokhan Unal added a second at the death for fifth-place Kayserispor.

Istanbul Buyuksehir climbed away from the danger zone with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Caykur Rizespor.

Elionar Nascimento put the visitors ahead after half an hour before Ibrahim Akin levelled seven minutes later.

Akin completed his brace and gave Buyuksehir the win after 67 minutes.

Turkey(Turkiye) draws with Sweden in friendly

Turkey and Sweden played to a 0-0 draw Wednesday in a friendly international ahead of the European Championship.

Nihat Kahveci missed several chances to score for Turkey, and Gokhan Gonul created more opportunities for the hosts but Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson was able to keep a clean sheet.
Sweden is in Group D at Euro 2008 with defending champion Greece, Spain and Russia. The Turks, who reached the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup, will play in Group A with Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Portugal.

The tournament, which runs from June 7-29, will be co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland.



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Lineups:

Turkey: Volkan Demirel, Gokhan Gonul, Servet Cetin, Gokhan Zan, Hakan Kadir Balta, Hamit Altintop, Mehmet Aurelio, Emre Belozoglu (Mehmet Topal, 77), Yildiray Basturk, Nihat Kahveci (Gokdeniz Karadeniz, 85), Halil Altintop.

Sweden: Andreas Isaksson, Sebastian Larsson, Daniel Majstorovic, Peter Hansson, Mikael Nilsson (Matias Concha, 88), Kim Kallstrom, Sebastian Larsson, Anders Svensson, Kennedy Bakircioglu, Olof Mellberg, Markus Rosenberg.

Source:AP

Turkey(Turkiye), Sweden to play friendly match

Turkey and Sweden will play a friendly match in Istanbul's Inonu Stadium on Wednesday.

The match will kick off at 8:35 p.m. local time and will be broadcast live on Turkish ATV channel in Turkey and the rest of the world will watch the match on line from this site...... WATCH TURKIYE(TURKEY) V SWEDEN MATCH LIVE HERE....
The match against Sweden will be Turkey's first one as a preparation for the Euro 2008 finals in Switzerland and Austria in June.

Paolo Tagliavento of Italy will referee the game

Fatih Terim name squad for Sweden friendly ..

Turkey coach Fatih Terim announced a 27-man squad on Friday for the friendly against Sweden in Istanbul on Feb. 6.

Here is the squad...

Emre Aşık(Ankaraspor), Hamit Altıntop (Bayern Münih), Rüştü Reçber, İbrahim Kaş, Gökhan Zan (Beşiktaş A.Ş.), Caner Erkin (CSKA Moskova), Halil Altıntop (FC Schalke 04), Volkan Demirel, Uğur Boral, Gökhan Gönül, Mehmet Aurelio, Semih Şentürk (Fenerbahçe), Remzi Giray Kaçar (Gençlerbirliği Oftaş), Servet Çetin, Arda Turan, Hakan Kadir Balta, Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray), Mehmet Topuz, Gökhan Ünal (Kayserispor), Tümer Metin (Larissa), Serkan Kırıntılı (MKE Ankaragücü), Emre Belözoğlu (Newcastle United FC), Serhat Niyazi Akın (RSC Anderlecht), Mehmet Yıldız (Sivasspor), Gökdeniz Karadeniz (Trabzonspor), Yıldıray Baştürk (VfB Stuttgart), Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal).

Schildenfeld joins Besiktas

Besiktas soccer club of the Turkcell Super League signed a contract on Friday that added Croatian player Gordon Schildenfeld to their squad.


Schildenfeld formerly played for Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia as a defender. He is 23 years old.

Vestel Manisspor signs Portuguese player Targino

Portuguese striker Tiaga Joao Targino Da Silva has joined Turkish Turkcell Super League squad Vestel Manisaspor.

21-year-old Targino, who was playing for Portuguese first division team Vitoria de Guimares, signed a one-year contract with the Turkish squad.

"I am now a player of Portugal under-21 national team. I aim to prove myself here in Turkey and join Portuguese national team for European Championship. Turkey is a great opportunity for me to succeed it," Targino said.