The game of thrones that is Turkish football featured the arrival of a new king this week. Following Beşiktaş and Galatasaray losses, Fenerbahçe recaptured the top spot with a 2-0 win over Trabzonspor. Fenerbahçe were defeated 3-2 by Beşiktaş in week six and handed their first place spot to their Black and White rivals. However, with the Beşiktaş loss against Akhisar Belediyespor on Sunday, Fenerbahçe's win over Trabzonspor put them on the top of the Turkish Spor Toto Super League.
The 2-0 victory in Istanbul was made possible by goals from Nani and Fernandao. Fenerbahçe moved above rivals Beşiktaş and now boast 30 points. Beşiktaş stayed on 29 points while title holders Galatasaray stayed seven points behind the new league leaders.
Trabzonspor played with 10 men after left-back Alper Uludağ was sent off in the 42nd minute.
Galatasaray dropped a place to fourth after a draw against Kasımpaşa on Sunday, allowing Fenerbahçe to further extend their lead over Galatasaray in the championship race with the Canaries moved seven points clear of the Lions.
Meanwhile, Trabzonspor's inability to beat Fenerbahçe in Kadıköy now runs to 18 years. The last time Trabzonspor defeated Fenerbahçe was on Aug. 23, 1997. On that day Trabzonspor defeated their archrivals 3-1. In the last 19 matches since that day, Fenerbahçe have had 12 wins over Trabzonspor and have drawn seven matches. Fenerbahçe have not been defeated by Trabzonspor in their last 13 matches. The last time Trabzonspor beat Fenerbahçe was in the 2010-2011 season with a 3-2 win in Trabzon. Trabzonspor haven't scored in Kadıköy in the last seven matches between the two sides. In the last match of the 2009-2010 season, Trabzonspor's Burak Yılmaz scored a goal and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Fenerbahçe raised their unbeaten run to 13 after the win over Trabzonspor. The Yellow Canaries have won 10 matches and drawn three in the last 13 matches in Kadıköy.
Fenerbahçe coach Vitor Pereira said, "We definitely deserved this win. We could have scored two or three goals more. Fenerbahçe dominated the game against Trabzonspor. We have played the last six or seven matches at a high level. We have been managing to play at a high level. We can press our rivals up front. We did not give any opportunities to Trabzonspor.
"I don't want talk about us being on top. We have to wait until the end of the season. Let's talk about it at the end of the season."
Fenerbahçe defender Bruno Alves said, "We played well against Trabzonspor. Everything has been falling into place for our team. Our team has been improving continuously. We still have deficiencies but want to finish the season well. We have to believe in our skills and qualifications. We have to believe in ourselves and move forward until the end of the season."
Antalyaspor striker Samuel Eto'o remains the league's top scorer with 11 goals, followed by Beşiktaş' Mario Gomez with nine. Akhisar Belediyespor's Hugo Rodallega and Çaykur Rizespor striker Leonard Kweuke are tied for third with eight goals.
