Fenerbahce 2 - 1 Besiktas: Reflections

Fenerbahce 2 - 1 Besiktas: Reflections
Translated and Edited by Ozgur R. Nazilli

FB 1 - 2 BJK... This is what counts at the moment, and this is how the derby will be remembered as in a few months time. However, the controversies in the game will be contemplated for a good time to come.

It was an exciting derby, as it always is between Fener and Besiktas, and the drama was there too. Batuhan missing the open goal (which was saved by Edu at the line) after Volkan runs so far that he ends up out of the penalty area, Carlos giving the captain's armband that was handed to him to Volkan as a show of respect to the hierarchy of Fenerbahce and putting the armband on Volkan's arm himself even though he is "Roberto Carlos", Semih dedicating the goal he scored to his family with a shirt that said "For you" with the picture of his family, Besiktas and Fenerbahce players both failing to hear the whistle of the referee and continuing the position that ended in a goal, which in turn was disallowed since the whistle had gone off about 10 seconds earlier... In short, it really was a game deserving to be called a derby.

So, what is the impact of this game on Turkish futbol? Well, if the Besiktas President and Executives keep to their word, it is going to be huge. After the game, President Demiroren and Executive Manager Sinan Engin both stated that they will be pulling the team off the league and using the youth squad starting next week, if the referee of the game and the Vice President of the Turkish Futbol Federation do not resign from their respective positions. They believed that Besiktas was being treated unfairly by the referees, even though they had released a press statement earlier this week saying that they "trusted the Turkish referees' decisions" as a response to Fenerbahce's protest against Ismet Arzuman, the referee of the game, being chosen as the referee, due to the unfair calls he made last year against Fenerbahce in another Fenerbahce-Besiktas derby. This time however, Besiktas was on the receiving end of a controversial decision.

Zico, being the gentleman he is, gave a press conference filled with gentleness and respect for the opponent, and sidestepped any questions that might have offensive answers to Besiktas, and even commented that Fenerbahce Board's decision to protest against the referee prior to the match was "a call that he could not support", since he himself disliked commenting on referees before or even after games. We as Fenerbahce Worldwide are proud to have such an exemplary person as the manager of Fenerbahce, especially after his comment that "he would be willing to postpone the match only if the other 16 teams agreed to it too", on a question as to whether he would want the match to be postponed due to important Champions League games both teams have next week.

And now, some bits and pieces from the match that you might have missed in all the excitement:
- Deivid de Souza, after an unimpressive season last year, seems to have donned the "savior" cloak for Fenerbahce, with some crucial goals. He scored against Besiktas in the Super Cup, which Fenerbahce went on to win 2-1, scored the magnificent half-volley against Inter that brought Fenerbahce the 3 points in their first game in the Champions League, helped Fenerbahce come away with a draw in Moscow against CSKA Moscow with a long range equalizer, and finally found the back of the Besiktas net again tonight, and led Fenerbahce to another 2-1 victory against Besiktas. Kudos, Deivid!

- Fenerbahce looks like they are finally overcoming their "Besiktas fear", which led them to drop points in every single game in Kadikoy for 6 years, with a 3 match winning streak against Besiktas in the last 3 games.

- Semih, the player who was nicknamed "Young Semih" for years even though he has a wife and a child, is proving to be the striker Fenerbahce have been missing since the beginning of the year, with 4 goals and 3 assists in 4 games. That is one amazing streak for a "reserve" player. We love Kezman here in Fenerbahce Worldwide and we support fully support him, but it looks like he is going to have a hard time getting his spot on the first eleven back, if Semih continues performing like this. As long as Fenerbahce score goals and continue their impressive performance, it does not matter who holds the striker position.

- "Old man Roberto Carlos", as he was called prior to the start of the season was yet again the hardest working player on the pitch. One cannot help but be amazed to his energy and form, especially since his sprints up and down the field never stop for the whole 90 minutes. Seriously now, if you are 34 years old and 20 year olds have a hard time stopping you, you have to be something more than an "old man", no?

- Fenerbahce is now on a 16 game unbeatable streak. They have not lost a single match since the Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor defeat at the very beginning of the season. Hopefully, this outstanding performance will continue on for a long time to come.

Now, the first derby of the season for Fenerbahce is behind us with a satisfying win, and we can look forward to the vital PSV game next week. If Fenerbahce manages to come away with 3 points from that match, they will most likely seal their spot on the list of teams which qualify to the next stage.

Hadi Fenerbahce!