Galatasaray's Masterclass: VAR Decides the Crunch Match

Highly Entertaining Futmetrix Score: 82/100. Leaders Galatasaray's 3-1 victory consolidated their grip on the title race, while Rizespor's defeat deepened their relegation peril.

Defenders Strike: Sánchez's Golden Header

The intensity was evident from the first whistle. In the 20th minute, Davinson Sánchez rose unmarked to meet Gabriel Sara's delivery and powered a header past the keeper. A defender's goal—a statement of Galatasaray's attacking threat. But the match's turning point came in the 35th minute when Rizespor's Qazim Laci appeared to level. VAR intervened. The linesman's flag was raised for offside. That cancellation proved the decisive moment—Galatasaray's stakes remained intact.

Second-Half Onslaught: Osimhen and Icardi's Precision

The second half belonged entirely to the hosts. In the 65th minute, Victor Osimhen finished a Abdülkerim Bardakçı cross with a clinical header—2-0. The Nigerian striker's movement was immaculate; his positioning, lethal. Rizespor clawed one back through Danijel Varesanovic in the 73rd minute, briefly threatening a balance shift. But Mauro Icardi, introduced in the 67th minute, sealed it with a 90th-minute finish from Roland Sallai's assist. Twenty-five shots, eleven on target—a barrage that never relented.