Goal Galore at Kadikoy: Fenerbahce 3 - 2 Trabzonspor

Goal Galore at Kadikoy: Fenerbahce 3 - 2 Trabzonspor
By Ozgur R. Nazilli

5 goals in 35 minutes, and a 3-2 scoreline was what ensured the winning streak of Fenerbahce to continue, and let the players go on the winter break with clear heads.

The match was as fast as they get in the Turkish Super League, with the opening coal coming in only the 4th minute. Deivid, with inarguably the best goal of the game, found the back of the net from outside the penalty area with a scorcher. After that, the goals just kept coming, with the scoreboard showing 3-2 at the 35th minute. However, the goals ended as abruptly as they had started, and the final score was the same as it was at the end of the first half, even though it looked like both sides would score more in the second half.

Both teams, from the very beginning, were concentrated fully on attacking. Fenerbahce was, as usual, out to win the match, especially since it was played in Kadikoy. However, Trabzon had the same aim too, and therefore had a very open playing style to get some scoring chances. When this was coupled with the fact that both Edu and Lugano were unavailable for the game, Trabzon scored two easy goals, which even though was not enough to let them come away with some points, still kept Fenerbahce on edge until the very end.

This game has been a good chance to see how vital a role both Edu and Lugano plays in the success of Fenerbahce. Onder and Yasin are both promising players, but we have seen that they are not yet ready to take over the central defense positions, which are the most unforgiving positions of all. A player in an attacking position can miss many scoring opportunities and he will be seen as a "good" player at the end of the game as long as he scores one. However, as a defender, you have to be perfect, because even if you cut off 10 attacks, you will be criticized at the end even if you have missed only one which led to a goal. Therefore, I applaud the decision of the Fenerbahce board, and thank them for bringing two such strong defenders. We have seen today that yes Alex, Roberto Carlos, and Zico have all played very important roles in the success of Fenerbahce this year, but the Edu-Lugano duo have been the unnamed heroes of this year's campaign.

All in all, it was an entertaining match for both of the parties involved. Fener fans have of course walked away happier, since they collected all 3 points, and also increased their winning streak to 5 straight games. Hopefully, the break will not be too much of a distraction, and Fenerbahce will return to the league in full force, with possibly a one or two additions to the squad.

(Photo courtesy of Hurriyet.com)