ISTANBUL (CIHAN) - The first derby of the Turkish Superleague ended in a 0-0 draw on Sunday evening as neither Besiktas nor Galatasaray managed to break the deadlock.
The Black Eagles hosted their archrivals the Lions yesterday at the renovated and capacity-boosted Inonu Stadium. Both teams emphasized defensive play and the forwards failed to find any clear chances.
Backed by fervent 32,000 fans, the Black Eagles dominated the second half but it was visiting Galatasaray that almost took the lead when veteran striker Hakan Sükür struck the crossbar on a penalty kick.
The Black Eagles had its chance of snatching its first home victory of the season but Ibrahim Akin and Daniel Pancu failed to get past Galatasaray's keeper Faryd Mondragon. The match ended in a goalless draw.
Galatasaray coach Gheorghe Hagi told a post-match press conference that he was satisfied with the performance of his team. Hagi consoled Hakan Sukur saying that he also missed a lot of penalty kicks in his football career.
Besiktas's Del Bosque blamed bad luck for the draw. "We did not allow our opponent many chances except on the penalty. But, we had chances to win the game. The season is long. We must show patience."
Defending Champions Fenerbahce took over first place in the standings by fighting back from 1-0 down to beat Malatyaspor 3-1. Brazilian striker Marcio Nomre was on target twice and Deniz Barýs clinched the win with a third goal for Fenerbahce. The Malatyaspor's sole goal came from Osterc.
Gaziantepspor ended Trabzonspor's perfect start by holding them at bay in 0-0 draw a on Sunday.