Galatasaray grab 23rd Turkish Super Lig title after 4-1 win over Ankaragucu

Galatasaray has defeated Ankaragucu 4-1 to win their 23rd Turkish Super Lig title.

Galatasaray broke the deadlock on Tuesday with a close-range finish from Mauro Icardi in the 17th minute, assisted by Milot Rashica at Eryaman Stadium in the capital Ankara.

After six minutes, Ankaragucu levelled the match when Felicio Milson placed the ball into the bottom corner with a left-footed shot.

The Lions retook the lead when Icardi produced a header in the 38th minute, and Kerem Akturkoglu assisted him.

In the 73rd minute, Baris Alper Yilmaz put the ball into the net after dribbling past MKE Ankaragucu goalkeeper Gokhan Akkan in a counterattack.

Sergio Oliveira netted another header for Galatasaray to make it 4-1 in the 79th minute.

With this victory, the Istanbul club have claimed their first title in Türkiye's top football division since 2019.

Collecting 82 points in 34 matches, Galatasaray are five points ahead of second-place Fenerbahce with two matches remaining.

Galatasaray's last match was scheduled against ATAKAŞ Hatayspor but the club withdrew from the league after earthquake in the southeastern region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Galatasaray on winning the title.

'A twist of fate'

Okan Buruk's side will celebrate their title Sunday during a much-anticipated derby against Fenerbahce, who have not won the title since 2014.

"Galatasaray starts every year to become a champion. We said May is ours. I had my first championship as a football player here 30 years ago. Let's call it a twist of fate," Buruk said after the game.

"Good players are found, but being a team is difficult. They have all done it."

Buruk, 49, thanked those in the squad for making the fans happy during this season.

"It was very valuable for us to win this cup in Ankara on the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye."

The Lions' goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, who won his sixth Super Lig title with the club, said the team had a very tough season last year.

"With the arrival of Dursun Ozbek and Erden Timur, we entered a different path. I think everyone deserved the championship.

The fans had an incredible share in this," Muslera said, referring to the president of the club and its deputy chairman.

The arrival of Icardi and Torreira last summer gave the club a boost.

They also acquired Belgian forward Dries Mertens, Portuguese midfielder Sergio Oliveira and Italian midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo.