Galatasaray defeat Basaksehir to clinch domestic double

The Lions have completed a domestic double after being crowned champions of the 2018-2019 Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.

Turkish football’s biggest club, Galatasaray, have done it again. The Lions defeated their city rivals Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 at home on Sunday evening to clinch the Turkish Super Lig title for a record 22nd time in the club’s history. The feat comes just days after they won the Turkish Cup for the 18th time on Wednesday when they defeated Akhisarspor.

The clash between the two best performing clubs of the season did not disappoint as both sides gave it their all to determine this season’s champion.

Istanbul Basaksehir struck first blood in the 17th minute when their forward Riad Bajic connected with his teammate Elia’s cross and headed the ball into the back of the net to make the score 1-0.

Despite holding on to the marginal score for the first half, Basaksehir slipped up immediately after the start of the second half.

Galatasaray winger Sofiane Feghouli equalized for his team in the 47th minute with a beautiful bicycle kick which flew past Basaksehir’s goalkeeper, bringing them level at 1-1.

The hosts were relentless in their attacks as they pushed for the winning goal. Galatasaray midfielders Younes Belhanda and Henry Onyekuru both had a goal each chalked off due to a handball in the build-up of the attack and an offside, respectively.

Nigerian speed demon Henry Onyekuru gave Galatasaray the winning goal in the 64th minute when he pounced on the rebound of a free-kick to make the score 2-1.

The victory means Galatasaray solidify first place with 69 points and are crowned the champions of the 2018-2019 season of the Turkish Super Lig with a game in hand.

It also means that Fatih Terim’s men, who have completed the entire season undefeated at home, have qualified for next season’s lucrative Champions League group stages.