Istanbul Basaksehir end dominance of Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce with first league title
Sacha Pisani
July 20, 2020 05:29 MYT
July 20, 2020 05:29 MYT
Istanbul Basaksehir celebrated their first Super Lig title with a 1-0 win over Kayserispor, ending the stranglehold of Turkey's big three.
Defending champions Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas have dominated Turkish football – the three Istanbul giants winning 54 league trophies between them.
But the powerhouse trio were unable to compete with fellow Istanbul outfit Basaksehir this season.
Basaksehir – formed in 1990 – became just the sixth club to win the Super Lig since the league's inception in 1959 thanks to Sunday's victory and second-placed Trabzonspor's 4-3 loss to Konyaspor.
ŞAMP1YON MEDİPOL BAŞAKŞEHİR #TürkiyeninYeniŞampiyonu pic.twitter.com/p4yo9Gv6dP — İstanbul Başakşehir #TürkiyeninYeniŞampiyonu (@ibfk2014) July 19, 2020
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Boasting the likes of former Real Madrid and Manchester City forward Robinho, Gael Clichy, Martin Skrtel and Demba Ba, Okan Buruk's Basaksehir are seven points clear atop the table with one match remaining.
Basaksehir are also on track to meet Premier League giants Manchester United in the Europa League.
2019-20 Süper Lig Cemil Usta sezonu şampiyonu @ibfk2014 Medipol Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü’nü ve taraftarlarını gönülden tebrik ediyorum. pic.twitter.com/wus8Jr1HCL — Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) July 19, 2020
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The Turkish champions hold a 1-0 lead over Copenhagen heading into the second leg of their last-16 tie, while United defeat LASK 5-0 prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Europa League is set to resume next month following the enforced break due to COVID-19.