Didim Today

Bursaspor have won their first ever Turkcell Super Lig title after a dramatic final day of matches in Turkey, overtaking Fenerbahce to claim the crown by a single point. The Yellow Canaries went into the final round of matches one point clear of Bursaspor, and knew that a victory at home to Trabzonspor would be enough to reclaim their league title that they relinquished in 2008.

Bursaspor had to defeat Besiktas and hope that Christoph Daum’s side would slip up, and they held their end of the bargain. Goals from Pablo Batalla and Ibrahim Toraman helped the Green Crocodiles to a 2-1 win. Over in Istanbul, Fenerbahce took the lead through Spanish international striker Dani Guiza, but on 23 minutes Burak Yilmaz equalised for Trabzonspor, and despite sustained pressure the home side could not find a winning goal.

The match finished in a 1-1 draw, meaning that Bursapor’s victory moved them onto 75 points for the season, one ahead of Fenerbahce, and ensured that the title was heading to Bursa for the first ever time.

Apart from a few diehard Fenerbahçe fans, the whole of Turkey erupted in joy to celebrate Bursaspor’s maiden championship on Sunday night, with the celebrations extending into the early hours of Monday. All 81 Turkish provinces celebrated the end of İstanbul’s hegemony over Turkish football, with fans dancing in the streets and drivers honking their horns to mark this remarkable day in the Turkcell Super League the day the Bursaspor Crocs abruptly ended the status quo.

In Bursa the players were adorned with flowers after the match and drove on a bus around the city lined with flag-waving fans. Metropolitan İstanbul and capital Ankara hosted celebrations all Sunday night and into Monday morning. Fans of Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, long-rivals of Fenerbahçe, joined Bursaspor lovers in celebrating the Anatolian team’s first-time crown.

In İstanbul, hundreds of people gathered in Taksim’s famous square where celebrations sometimes turned into bickering between Bursaspor and Fenerbahçe fans. Ankara’s location for the all-night festivities was Güvenpark. The capital’s resident Bursaspor fans lit torches, chanted and shouted slogans. Ankaragücü fans went along with them in celebration of Bursaspor clinching the title.