Despite dominating the Süper Lig, Galatasaray on Wednesday bid farewell to the Ziraat Turkish Cup in the quarterfinals after a 3-2 defeat to Istanbul Başakşehir.
The match was played in a single-elimination format, and the Lions fell behind early, with Patryk Szysz scoring in the 12th minute.
Although Kaan Ayhan equalized for Galatasaray in the 20th minute, Danijel Aleksic put Istanbul Başakşehir back in front in the 30th minute, and at halftime, Galatasaray trailed 2-1.
Galatasaray's nail-biting comeback with Icardi's 51st-minute strike was short-lived as Szysz struck again for Istanbul Başakşehir with a killer goal in the 66th minute, sealing their victory.
Despite leaving no stone unturned in their attempts to level the score, Galatasaray's efforts went in vain, leading to their unfortunate exit from the competition.
Istanbul Başakşehir secured their place in the semifinals, while Galatasaray's Ziraat Turkish Cup dreams have been crushed for the fourth consecutive season.
The team had their moment of glory in 2018-2019 when they lifted the Cup, but unfortunately, they've failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals in the past three seasons.
Galatasaray's hopes for a Turkish Cup victory may be dashed, but they have their sights set on a bigger prize, the Süper Lig championship.
However, despite an impressive 15-game unbeaten streak in all competitions this season, the Lions suffered a devastating loss at home – only their second defeat in 13 league and four cup matches.
The first came in the second week of the league against Giresunspor, but Galatasaray quickly rallied, winning 14 games and drawing once in 15 matches across both competitions.
In the quarterfinal match against Başakşehir, Galatasaray conceded three goals at home for the first time this season, ending their run of conceding no more than two goals in any match.
Mauro Icardi's strike was the Argentine striker's 10th goal in official matches this season, as he had previously scored nine times.
The clash was not short on drama, with VAR stealing the show.
Galatasaray's Kerem Aktürkoğlu saw his fifth-minute goal disallowed for offside after a VAR intervention. At the same time, in the 40th minute, Dries Mertens thought he had scored for Galatasaray, only for VAR to rule it out due to a handball.
The controversial calls left Galatasaray fans fuming as their team suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the Turkish Cup.
Galatasaray fans didn't hold back at the end of the match, showing their unwavering support for their team and their disappointment with Lale Orta, President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Central Referee Board.
After Dries Mertens' goal was disallowed, the passionate supporters called for Orta's resignation, making their voices heard loud and clear.
