Galatasaray 2–1 Fenerbahçe: Osimhen's double wins the derby and sends Galatasaray top

The Intercontinental Derby belonged to Galatasaray and, above all, to Victor Osimhen. His two goals before half-time settled a fiery night at RAMS Park on Monday, and the 2–1 win takes Galatasaray back to the top of the Süper Lig. It ended in ugly scenes, with a fight on the pitch after the final whistle and two red cards.

Osimhen strikes twice before the break

Galatasaray were on the front foot from the start, and Fenerbahçe were struggling to cope: İrfan Can Kahveci, Milan Skriniar and N'Golo Kanté were all booked inside the first half-hour. Barış Alper Yılmaz was a constant threat down the flanks and twice forced saves from Ederson in the space of three minutes. Fenerbahçe's best answer was an Oğuz Aydın free-kick that flew just over.

The breakthrough came on 29 minutes. Yılmaz slipped the ball through and Osimhen finished left-footed inside the near post. Ederson kept the gap at one with a save from Osimhen a few minutes later, but he could not stop the second: a minute before the break Davinson Sánchez shot from distance, Ederson could only push it out, and Osimhen was there to head in the rebound.

Kahveci makes a game of it

Fenerbahçe improved after half-time, and on 62 minutes they had their goal: a ball from the left was knocked down by Oğuz Aydın and Kahveci finished with an overhead kick past Uğurcan Çakır. Galatasaray sat a little deeper after that, and Fenerbahçe nearly snatched a draw in the 90th minute when a Skriniar header was cleared off the line by Mario Lemina.

The fight at the final whistle

The night did not end with the football. Right after the final whistle a row broke out on the pitch between Galatasaray's Roland Sallai and Fenerbahçe's Kerem Aktürkoğlu, and players from both sides piled in. Fenerbahçe's Archie Brown and Galatasaray's Abdülkerim Bardakcı then grappled with each other and both went to ground, while team-mates and staff tried to pull players apart.

Police came onto the pitch to bring things under control, and the players left for the dressing rooms through a police line. Referee Atilla Karaoğlan showed red cards to Bardakcı and Brown, one from each side, and yellow cards to Aktürkoğlu and Sallai.

Leaving the stadium, Bardakcı told reporters that anyone who watches the footage will see who attacked first. Galatasaray's social media account later posted a photo of Osimhen making a "calm down" gesture. No injuries were reported, and there had been no statement from the Turkish Football Federation or announcement of any disciplinary referral when we published.

What the managers said

Okan Buruk called it one of Galatasaray's best performances of the season. He felt his side found plenty of space through their movement and could have won by a lot more, and he thanked the home crowd for driving the pressing. He also kept a lid on it: "We won the derby, but we haven't won anything," he said, pointing to a tough run of games to come, including Konyaspor away, the Champions League and Amedspor.

Fenerbahçe coach İsmail Kartal admitted his side did not play to their standard in the first half, apologised to the supporters and said the reasons would be dealt with inside the club. He insisted the title is still on, arguing that teams have won the league without winning the derby before.

Standout players

• Victor Osimhen: two goals in 15 minutes before the break.
• Barış Alper Yılmaz: the assist for the opener and Galatasaray's most dangerous player in the first half.
• Ederson: made several good saves and kept Fenerbahçe in the game.
• İrfan Can Kahveci: booked early, but scored the goal of the night.
• Mario Lemina: his late clearance off the line protected the win.

What it means for the title race

Galatasaray kicked off third on 19 points, one behind leaders Amedspor. The win lifts them to 22 points and top of the table, two clear of Amedspor (20), with Trabzonspor on 19 and Beşiktaş on 18. Fenerbahçe stay fifth on 16 and are now six points behind their rivals after nine games. Galatasaray go to Konyaspor next, and Fenerbahçe host Göztepe.

How Cortex called it

All three of Cortex's ranked picks for this match won:

• Top pick: Galatasaray or draw, 72.6% (best price 1.33)
• 2nd pick: both teams to score, 63.2% (best price 1.44)
• 3rd pick: over 2.5 goals, 61.7% (best price 1.50)

Its numbers had Galatasaray as favourites, but not by much: 47% for a home win, 25% for the draw and 27% for Fenerbahçe, with expected goals of 1.15 to 1.0 and 1–1 as the single most likely score. So the picks landed, but nothing in the model saw a first half this one-sided. Galatasaray were far better before the break than those close numbers suggested.

One more honest note: at the prices available, none of these three was a value pick. The bookmakers rated each of them slightly more likely than we did, so these were our most likely sensible outcomes, not bets where we thought the market had it wrong. It is three wins on the track record, along with every pick that loses.

Sources: Daily Sabah, Türkiye Today, Hürriyet, Cumhuriyet, Sporx, Fotomaç, Cumhuriyet on Buruk, Akşam, GZT, Hürriyet on the fight, NTV Spor, Sözcü, Fotomaç on Bardakcı, Yeni Şafak

18+. Our picks are chances, not certainties. Please bet responsibly.