 AA photo |
Galatasaray waved a dramatic goodbye to Ali Sami Yen Stadium with a victory over third-tier side Beypazarı Şekerspor in the Ziraat Turkish Cup on Tuesday.
The site of some of the greatest victories in Turkish football history, Ali Sami Yen lowered its curtains with Galatasaray’s win over the lowly Ankara-based side, but the Lions had to win the hard way, coming back from a 1-0 deficit to win 3-1.
The Beypazarı match may not ultimately resonate like some of Galatasaray’s famous past victories, including famous victories against AC Milan and Real Madrid in the 2001 Champions League campaigns, but fans will be happy the club managed to emerge victorious in their last fixture at the venerable ground.
Galatasaray, which played at Ali Sami Yen for 47 years, will now move to the newly-completed Türk Telekom Arena, a 52,000-seat arena that will provide the team with high-standard comfort and a chance for another additional revenue streams.
The emotional atmosphere could be felt long before the match as the build-up to the actual game had been preparing the 22,000 fans for a heartfelt goodbye.
Galatasaray’s former legends, coaches and board members participated in an all-star match before the main fixture, providing fans the chance to watch great stars from different eras. Romanian legend and current coach Gheorghe Hagi exchanged passes with 1980s Kosovar midfield ace Cevad Prekazi while Hakan Şükür paired up front with Arif Erdem, just as they did in the team’s road to UEFA Cup glory in 2000.
After the exhibition match, Galatasaray’s famous victories at the ground in Mecidiyeköy were shown on widescreens on the pitch, compounding the sense of a glorious past standing in stark contrast to the team’s unrivalled misery during this league campaign.
Sitting ninth in the Super League, Galatasaray has become accustomed to losing games against unheralded opponents at home this season, but losing to a League Two side in the final match at the legendary stadium would have made matters even worse.
Indeed, Galatasaray got off to a poor start when a well-placed lob by Beypazarı’s Caner Arıcı gave the visitors an unexpected lead in the first half. The home team started the second half in more aggressive fashion and increased the pressure with new transfers Colin Kazım Richards and Emmanuel Culio running out after the restart for their competitive debuts.
In the 73rd minute, defender Servet Çetin finally found the equalizer for the Lions with an acrobatic bicycle kick that seemed improbable given the player’s physique and technique.
Captain Arda Turan tallied with a header in the 82nd minute to save the day for Galatasaray, while Kazım’s late goal padded the score line for the Istanbul team.
Kazım’s arrival from archrival Fenerbahçe drew the anger of Galatasaray fans last week, but his second goal in his second appearance and his kissing of the team’s badge during his celebration looked to strengthen the supporters’ bonds with the attacker.
“All members of my family are Galatasaray fans and that’s why I kissed the badge after the goal,” he said. “I never did that at Fenerbahçe.”
The stadium did not immediately empty after the final whistle as the players gathered in the center circle to listen to anchorman Ali Kırca read a poem summarizing the club’s history. After finishing, Kırca counted down from 10 with the fans; after the crowd roared “one,” the lights of the historic stadium were turned down.
Even in a season marred with unsuccessful results, Tuesday’s ceremony was a worthy farewell to the Ali Sami Yen, one of the most important stadiums in Turkish football folklore.
The site of some of the greatest victories in Turkish football history, Ali Sami Yen lowered its curtains with Galatasaray’s win over the lowly Ankara-based side, but the Lions had to win the hard way, coming back from a 1-0 deficit to win 3-1.
The Beypazarı match may not ultimately resonate like some of Galatasaray’s famous past victories, including famous victories against AC Milan and Real Madrid in the 2001 Champions League campaigns, but fans will be happy the club managed to emerge victorious in their last fixture at the venerable ground.
Galatasaray, which played at Ali Sami Yen for 47 years, will now move to the newly-completed Türk Telekom Arena, a 52,000-seat arena that will provide the team with high-standard comfort and a chance for another additional revenue streams.
The emotional atmosphere could be felt long before the match as the build-up to the actual game had been preparing the 22,000 fans for a heartfelt goodbye.
Galatasaray’s former legends, coaches and board members participated in an all-star match before the main fixture, providing fans the chance to watch great stars from different eras. Romanian legend and current coach Gheorghe Hagi exchanged passes with 1980s Kosovar midfield ace Cevad Prekazi while Hakan Şükür paired up front with Arif Erdem, just as they did in the team’s road to UEFA Cup glory in 2000.
After the exhibition match, Galatasaray’s famous victories at the ground in Mecidiyeköy were shown on widescreens on the pitch, compounding the sense of a glorious past standing in stark contrast to the team’s unrivalled misery during this league campaign.
Sitting ninth in the Super League, Galatasaray has become accustomed to losing games against unheralded opponents at home this season, but losing to a League Two side in the final match at the legendary stadium would have made matters even worse.
Indeed, Galatasaray got off to a poor start when a well-placed lob by Beypazarı’s Caner Arıcı gave the visitors an unexpected lead in the first half. The home team started the second half in more aggressive fashion and increased the pressure with new transfers Colin Kazım Richards and Emmanuel Culio running out after the restart for their competitive debuts.
In the 73rd minute, defender Servet Çetin finally found the equalizer for the Lions with an acrobatic bicycle kick that seemed improbable given the player’s physique and technique.
Captain Arda Turan tallied with a header in the 82nd minute to save the day for Galatasaray, while Kazım’s late goal padded the score line for the Istanbul team.
Kazım’s arrival from archrival Fenerbahçe drew the anger of Galatasaray fans last week, but his second goal in his second appearance and his kissing of the team’s badge during his celebration looked to strengthen the supporters’ bonds with the attacker.
“All members of my family are Galatasaray fans and that’s why I kissed the badge after the goal,” he said. “I never did that at Fenerbahçe.”
The stadium did not immediately empty after the final whistle as the players gathered in the center circle to listen to anchorman Ali Kırca read a poem summarizing the club’s history. After finishing, Kırca counted down from 10 with the fans; after the crowd roared “one,” the lights of the historic stadium were turned down.
Even in a season marred with unsuccessful results, Tuesday’s ceremony was a worthy farewell to the Ali Sami Yen, one of the most important stadiums in Turkish football folklore.
No comments:
Post a Comment