In a fiery Istanbul derby that saw the Turkish Cup quarterfinals descend into chaos, Fenerbahçe gaffer Jose Mourinho’s confrontation with Galatasaray’s Okan Buruk stole the spotlight.
After the Yellow Canaries’ 2-1 defeat to their bitter rivals, a bizarre incident unfolded as Mourinho appeared to grab Buruk’s nose, sending the Galatasaray manager tumbling to the ground.
The confrontation, caught on camera, immediately went viral, igniting a storm both on and off the pitch.
Fenerbahçe’s staff and players rushed to separate the two, while Galatasaray’s Fernando Muslera sprinted to defend his coach.
As tensions escalated, police formed a barricade between the teams, with officers encircling Galatasaray as they celebrated their victory.
Galatasaray’s vice-president, Metin Ozturk, condemned Mourinho’s actions after the game, questioning how such behavior could be tolerated in Türkiye and calling on Fenerbahçe’s management to impose sanctions before the federation intervenes.
Despite a seemingly exaggerated initial reaction, Buruk downplayed the altercation in his post-match comments, acknowledging it was “not a classy move,” but refraining from making a bigger issue out of it.
The controversy only added fuel to an already heated match.
Galatasaray's official social media account joined in, mocking Mourinho with a post of Buruk and the Portuguese manager, captioned: “You won’t attack, you’ll accept.”
Victor Osimhen was the star for Galatasaray, netting both goals in a clinical first-half performance.
His opener came just 10 minutes in, pouncing on a loose ball in the box. He doubled the lead in the 27th minute, converting a penalty awarded after VAR ruled a handball by Fenerbahçe's Filip Kostic.
Fenerbahçe pulled one back just before halftime, with Sebastian Szymanski’s goal surviving a VAR check that overturned an offside ruling.
However, despite pressing in the second half, Fenerbahçe couldn’t break down Galatasaray’s defense, and the visitors held firm to advance to the semifinals.
The heated nature of the match saw its fair share of red cards.
Fenerbahçe saw a member of their bench sent off, and Galatasaray’s Barış Alper Yilmaz and Kerem Demirbay were dismissed after an altercation late in the game.
The chaos continued in stoppage time, with four more red cards handed out after another clash between players.
A total of three red cards and nine yellow cards reflected the animosity that defined the match.
This defeat marks another setback for Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe in high-profile derbies.
The team has now lost twice to Galatasaray this season, including a 3-1 league defeat at home, and a goalless draw in the reverse fixture.
To compound their misery, Fenerbahçe also fell to Beşiktaş earlier in the season.
Sebastian Szymanski continued his fine form, scoring for the third consecutive match, but his efforts were not enough to keep Fenerbahçe’s cup hopes alive.
VAR played a crucial role in the match, first awarding a penalty to Galatasaray for Kostic’s handball, which Osimhen converted.
Then, after an offside call on Szymanski’s goal was overturned, the Polish midfielder’s strike gave Fenerbahçe a glimmer of hope before their eventual exit.
With Galatasaray advancing to face Konyaspor in the semifinals, the fiery encounter will be remembered for its drama both on and off the field.
