Istanbul (AFP) – Galatasaray won the Turkish Super Lig title for the 21st time after a tense end to the season on Saturday which saw all Istanbul teams chasing the coveted trophy.
The Istanbul club beat Izmir side Goztepe 1-0 away from home to secure the crown after a goal from the penalty spot in the 66th minute by French striker Bafetimbi Gomis.
Galatasaray had not won the title since 2015 after Istanbul rivals Besiktas were champions in 2016 and 2017.
They will now claim Turkey’s sole automatic Champions League spot.
Galatasaray needed a win or a draw in Saturday’s match to win the title with Fenerbahce and Basaksehir playing home games against Konyaspor and Kasimpasa respectively.
Fenerbahce beat Konyaspor 3-2 while fellow city rivals Basaksehir beat Kasimpasa 3-2.
Galatasaray won the league with 75 points, three ahead of Fenerbahce.
The club’s late season success comes after the return of Turkish football icon dubbed the “Emperor”, Fatih Terim, for his fourth stint as coach in December 2017.
Galatasaray signed a one-and-a-half year contract with Terim for three million euros, and his deal also entitled him to 500,000 euros in bonuses for each season if he takes the league title.
Former national team boss Terim, 64, replaced Croatia’s Igor Tudor who was sacked after just 10 months in charge.
