Jorge Jesus' Fenerbahçe breathed a sigh of relief following their crushing defeat against their city rivals Galatasaray, as Enner Valencia provided a much-needed spark with an early and late strike to secure victory away at Gaziantep FK.
Gaziantep's coach Erol Bulut expressed his frustration at the adversity of the 11-versus-10 situation after Angel Sagal's red card in the 70th minute, lamenting that his side ultimately lost their superiority in the game.
At the post-match press conference, Bulut remarked that the team had started the match powerfully and effectively, yet all composure had been lost due to the resulting imbalance of the game.
Bulut said that they had gone on the field with ambitious hope to win and had put up a fight that should not have resulted in a loss, adding that if it weren't for the disadvantageous circumstances of playing 10 to 11, they were certain they would have come out victorious.
He said they had played with vigor until the 70th minute when the opposition suddenly gained an absolute upper hand.
He continued that, though their team had worked hard to take advantage of their chances, the red card ultimately sealed their fate.
The disgruntled Gaziantep boss voiced his concerns, lamenting that they had been unpaid for one and a half months.
Bulut asserted that several footballers had lodged a complaint to FIFA concerning the club's unpaid remuneration, decrying the situation as both unjust and untenable.
Concerning the financial issue, Bulut said: "I have not uttered a single word of complaint regarding my team, despite not receiving our salaries for the past 1 1/2 months. On behalf of myself and my players, I can assure you that we have never set out with such a notion of not being paid. We have always done our best to perform to our utmost ability on the field and have constantly reminded the players that when they are not being paid, they should refer to the laws and rights established for them. All in all, the recent football performances and results are a testament to the fact that our lack of payment has not been reflected in our on-field performance. That said, I did take the initiative to communicate with the management regarding the payments, such as inquiring about the payment amounts and who is the interlocutor, but other than that, I have had no other complaints."
Despite this hard-fought victory, Fenerbahçe still trails the league leaders, Galatasaray, who ruthlessly dispatched Hatayspor 4-0 on Friday by a margin of four points, while Gaziantep languishes in the 12th spot with a mere 19 points from 18 matches.
