Turkish Süper Lig giants Galatasaray successfully retained their championship crown on Sunday after comfortably beating Konyaspor 3-1 courtesy of talisman Mauro Icardi's brace and Berkan Kutlu's sealer.
Although their 24th league title celebrations were momentarily postponed by a 1-0 loss to archrivals Fenerbahçe last week, the Lions showcased their dominance, reaffirming their supremacy on the local stage.
Under mastermind Okan Buruk, the team celebrated back-to-back championships, demonstrating their dominance with an impressive 102 points.
The match saw Galatasaray draw first blood with their Argentine marksman Mauro Icardi netting twice (29' and 51'), followed by a goal from Berkan Kutlu (53').
Konyaspor’s sole response came from Louka Prip (78').
Despite the loss, Konyaspor retained their league status, finishing 16th with 41 points.
Galatasaray's journey to the title was marked by record-breaking performances.
They matched Fenerbahçe's 1988-89 record of 93 points with a 3-0 victory over Adana Demirspor in week 34.
They then surged ahead with a 6-1 win over Sivasspor, reaching 96 points and setting a new league record.
Galatasaray’s flawless home record was slightly blemished by a loss to Fenerbahçe, but they still won 18 of their 19 home matches.
The season's highlight was their 17-match winning streak, the longest in league history, capped by victories over Sivasspor and Fatih Karagümrük.
Okan Buruk, the man behind this success, broke multiple records.
As a player, he had seven titles with Galatasaray and added another with Başakşehir in 2019-2020.
Now, he has become the club’s most successful coach with 10 titles, surpassing even Mircea Lucescu's home victory record.
Buruk also stands out as the second Turkish coach, after Mustafa Denizli, to win the league with two different clubs.
Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera also made history, achieving his seventh title, the most for any goalkeeper in the league.
The Uruguayan, who joined from Lazio, has now played the most matches and won the most titles of any foreign player in Galatasaray's history.
Despite ending their season with a resounding 6-0 victory over İstanbulspor, Fenerbahçe once again fell short of clinching their elusive title, a quest that has remained unfulfilled since the 2013-14 season.
Despite the win, they trailed league champions Galatasaray with 99 points.
Edin Dzeko opened the scoring with a penalty (8'), followed by goals from Sebastian Szymanski (15'), Dusan Tadic (36'), Bright Osayi-Samuel (66'), Serdar Dursun (76'), and Joshua King (78').
Dzeko’s penalty came after a VAR-reviewed handball by Baran Alp Vardar.
The 38-year-old striker concluded the season with 21 goals, although he was subbed out at halftime.
Szymanski broke his 17-match goal drought, and Leonardo Bonucci, playing his final match, received a captain's armband gesture from Dusan Tadic.
Fenerbahçe, led by İsmail Kartal, will begin their next European campaign in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.
The team, which finished second for the third consecutive season, looks ahead to building on this solid foundation.
With 31 wins, six draws, and a single loss, they concluded a commendable season but remained behind their archrivals.
