Goalless Istanbul derby: Galatasaray keeps Fenerbahce at bay in the championship race

Intense derby on the Bosporus: Galatasaray and Fenerbahce found no winner in the top match. IMAGO/Middle East Images

In the possibly decisive Istanbul derby for the Turkish championship, pursuer Fenerbahce could only manage a 0:0 draw with big rival Galatasaray. The draw means Cimbom can keep second-placed Fenerbahce six points behind - but there are still twelve games left in the Trendyol SüperLig.

Both teams will also have to face the other teams from the top 5 of the league again: Galatasaray, which has to play against Besiktas as well as Samsunspor with coach Thomas Reis and Eyüpspor, is likely to have the somewhat tougher remaining schedule - Fenerbahce will host all three at home.

As usual, both sides had a lot of Bundesliga experience in their starting eleven: two former Bundesliga players, star striker Osimhen (ex-Wolfsburg) and former Freiburg player Sallai, started in Galatasaray's attack, while Kutucu and Ayhan, both of whom were trained at Schalke, only came into the game in the final phase. Demirbay, the two-time German international, sat on the bench for 90 minutes.

On the other side, José Mourinho relied on three former Bundesliga players: captain Dzeko in attack (ex-Wolfsburg), former Frankfurt player Kostic on the wing and central defender Söyünyü (formerly Freiburg).

Despite a larger number of shots, the visitors were unable to overcome Galatasaray's defense around keeper Muslera. Galatasaray had more possession (60 percent), but also managed little going forward.