Galatasaray crush Trabzonspor to end 5-year Turkish Cup drought
Baku, May 15, AZERTAC
Galatasaray delivered a clinical 3-0 win over Trabzonspor in the Turkish Cup final on Wednesday, ending a five-year wait for domestic cup glory and sealing their dominance in Turkish football with a night to remember in Gaziantep, the Daily Sabah reported.
The final kicked off with an early statement of intent from the Lions.
Barış Alper Yılmaz fired home in the fifth minute to put Galatasaray ahead, catching Trabzonspor off balance.
Despite failing to carve out more clear-cut chances in the first half, Galatasaray’s discipline at the back kept their rivals at bay, and they carried their slim lead into the break.
The second half, however, belonged entirely to Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian striker doubled the lead just seconds after the restart and then struck again in the 63rd minute to seal the victory.
As the final whistle blew, Galatasaray not only lifted their first Turkish Cup since 2019 but also extended their winning streak to eight matches across all competitions.
It was a run that began after their only loss since March – a derby defeat to Beşiktaş – and included league wins over Samsunspor, Bodrum FK, Eyüpspor, Sivasspor, and Trabzonspor again, plus cup triumphs over Fenerbahçe and Konyaspor. Across these eight matches, Galatasaray scored 25 goals and conceded just four.
With two goals in the final, Osimhen smashed the single-season scoring record for a foreign player in Turkish football, taking his tally to 35 goals in 39 appearances – surpassing the legendary Mario Jardel’s 34-goal haul.
His feat includes 24 goals in the Süper Lig, five in the Turkish Cup, and six more in the UEFA Europa League.
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