The Istanbul derby proved to be a spectacular show, as the 18th week of the Spor Toto Süper Lig saw Galatasaray assert their supremacy in the city with an emphatic 3-0 victory away in Kadiköy against their archrivals Fenerbahçe on Sunday.
The Ülker Stadium fell into a hushed awe as the Lions roared with ferocity to outplay their opponents, ultimately triumphing 3-0 thanks to the dazzling strikes of Sergio Oliveira, Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Mauro Icardi.
With this result, Galatasaray soared to 39 points in the league, widening the gap with Fenerbahçe in second place to 4 points resulting in the Yellow-Reds erupting in elation and embracing each other in jubilation on the field upon the final whistle.
7th win streak
Galatasaray, a formidable force in the Süper Lig with an impressive streak of eight consecutive games without a loss, has been victorious in its past seven matches.
The Yellow-Reds, having endured their last defeat against Yukatel Kayserispor in the 10th week, managed to pull off a draw against Corendon Alanyaspor the following week.
In the proceeding stretch of seven matches, Galatasaray trounced VavaCars Fatih Karagümrük, Beşiktaş, Medipol Başakşehir, Istanbulspor, Demir Grup Sivasspor, MKE Ankaragücü and Fenerbahçe in succession.
The Lions have seen the back of the net 20 times in the seven games they won; their efforts culminated in a glorious four goals breaching the enemy castle walls.
In Galatasaray, Coach Okan Buruk has achieved the most impressive milestone of his career as his team secured an unprecedented seven consecutive victories in the Süper Lig, his longest run.
The longest he had gone grabbing maximum points was six games when he was at the helm of Akhisarspor in the 2016-2017 season.
Galatasaray's triumph in Kadiköy was a good day for Türkiye international, Kerem Aktürkoğlu who registered his season's sixth goal.
Aktürkoğlu had already made a name for himself with his impressive goals, scoring a brace against Kasımpaşa and an awe-inspiring hattrick against Medipol Başakşehir in his previous five goals.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu struck magnificently in the match played at Nef Stadium in the first half of last season, netting a goal, a blow to Fenerbahçe faithfuls.
Sergio Oliveira, who opened the scoring show with Galatasaray's first goal, struck his second of the league's season with his net-blasting goal.
The previous goal of the Portuguese player was at the expense of Arabam.com Konyaspor earlier in the season. Meanwhile, Sergio Oliveira became the first Portuguese to make history by notching a goal against Fenerbahçe donning the iconic Galatasaray jersey.
Mauro Icardi, the Argentine superstar, added the perfect finishing touch to an already eye-catching performance when he returned to the field after an injury, scoring his goal in the first match of his comeback.
Icardi, who came in for Barış Alper Yılmaz in the 76th minute of the match, scored his team's third goal in the 90th and 10th minutes.
The Argentinian football player who scored two goals in the Beşiktaş derby increased the number of goals in the league to five.
Icardi had been out injured after suffering second-degree muscle damage and strain in his muscles during a training session on Nov. 30.
It was going to be a much graver scenario for the Yellow Canaries had it not been for the offside calls, which disallowed goals from Abdülkerim Bardakcı and Kerem Aktürkoğlu.
The victors Galatasaray were dealt a bitter blow of their own when their star Belgian forward, Dries Mertens, was issued a yellow card for his vehement objection to the referee's call at the end of the first half of the match.
This means that Mertens cannot take part in the Atakaş Hatayspor match in the 19th week of the league.