Akhisarspor stuns Fenerbahce to lift Turkish Cup

Turkish Super Lig minnows Akhisarspor stunned Fenerbahce on Thursday night with a 3-2 victory to be crowned Turkish Cup winners.

Akhisarspor have been crowned Turkish Cup winners on Thursday after upsetting the odds and claiming a hard-fought victory over Super Lig powerhouse Fenerbahce.

The match was held in southeast Turkey’s Diyarbakır at the newly built 33,000-capacity Diyarbakir Stadium.

Akhisarspor were the ones to open the scoring at the Diyarbakır Stadium in the 32nd minute thanks to Miguel Lopes’ effort.

Fenerbahçe striker Fernandao, who came in in the second-half, equalized four minutes before the hour mark with a powerful header from Mathieu Valbuena’s cross.

Abdoul Sissoko put Akhisarspor ahead again in the 70th minute and Hélder Barbosa doubled the team’s lead 11 minutes later.

The late goal from Josef de Souza brought the Istanbul giants back into the game but the Yellow Canaries failed to find the equalizer that would have taken the game to extra-time.

The unexpected win brought Akhisarspor their first major trophy in their 48-year history as a football club. By winning the Cup, the club will enter the play-off round of UEFA Europa League qualifiers next season, which is another first feat for the club.

The small club certainly deserved to win after getting to the finals by famously knocking out Galatasaray 3-2 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, Fenerbahçe got to the finals after they were awarded a 3-0 win by forfeit due to the refusal of Besiktas to show up for a rematch of the abandoned semi-final.

This was Fenerbahce’s 11th loss in a Turkish Cup final, the most out of any other Turkish team.