Süper Lig giant Galatasaray's 2-0 win over Andrea Pirlo's Fatih Karagümrük on Friday will surely boost morale ahead of its Istanbul derby against Beşiktaş derby next weekend.
Host side Karagümrük was down to 10 men in the first half at Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium after Adnan Uğur was sent off for a foul against midfielder Lucas Torreira in the 33rd minute.
Turkish defender Emre Taşdemir scored a header in the penalty area to give Galatasaray a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute.
Near the end of the match, Spanish midfielder Juan Mata doubled the lead for the Lions with a close-range finish. It was Mata's first goal for Galatasaray.
The win ended Galatasaray’s three-game winless run - with two draws and one loss - in the league.
Galatasaray moved to the third spot with 21 points in 11 matches.
Karagümrük, on the other hand, has 12 points and is 12th in the standings, currently led by Fenerbahçe with 23 points.
In the next fixture, Galatasaray will face archrivals Beşiktaş in a derby clash on Nov. 5 at home.
