Heated Istanbul derby
Turmoil after Sané hit: player collapses – police operation
12/01/2025 – 9:12 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
When Fenerbahçe meets Galatasaray, there will be a state of emergency in Istanbul. The derby on Monday provided illustrative evidence of this – thanks to Leroy Sané’s goal.
How exciting the Istanbul derby between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray was this evening was evident even before the game started. The Fenerbahçe fans had prepared a huge choreography that spanned four sides of the stands: they enthusiastically got their team ready for the game against their arch-rivals from the neighborhood.
The two clubs from the Turkish metropolis met on equal terms: in the Süper Lig they are in first and second place, just one point apart from each other – and that should stay that way after the game with the final score of 1-1. Galatasaray remains at the top, Fenerbahçe the pursuer.
But the sporting event was overshadowed by tumult: after national player Leroy Sané scored his first derby goal for Galatasaray Istanbul in the duel between the arch-rivals, he ran with his teammates to the visitors’ block. The gala players’ cheering bunch wanted to be celebrated there by the supporters who had traveled with them – but were stopped in the middle of the ecstasy. Fenerbahçe fans threw objects at the players from the adjacent home area.
A lighter hit 22-year-old left-back Kazimcan Karatas below the right eye. Karatas immediately went down and had to be treated. His teammates complained vehemently and the game was then interrupted for a few minutes. Then the police moved in: hundreds of officers positioned themselves around the field to protect the players.
In the end, Leroy Sané missed out on winning with his new club. After his goal in the 27th minute to give the visitors the lead, Fenerbahçe managed to equalize in the final second: Coach Domenico Tedesco’s team scored through Colombian Jhon Durán in the 95th minute to make it 1-1.