VAR's Twin Verdicts Leave Samsunspor Searching for Answers

Average Futmetrix Score: 42/100. Samsunspor and Fenerbahçe played out a goalless stalemate marred by two VAR overturns, a result that leaves the hosts frustrated in seventh place while the visitors consolidate fourth with their unbeaten run intact.

Musaba's Twice-Denied Brilliance

Anthony Musaba orchestrated Samsunspor's attacking intensity from midfield, threading three key passes that carved open Fenerbahçe's shape. In the 36th minute, he broke through and found the net—only for VAR to intervene and strip away the goal. Twenty-three minutes later, another penalty shout. Again, the technology reversed the referee's call. Musaba's evening became a study in near-misses and technological cruelty. The stats reveal the torture: Samsunspor fired 12 shots (4 on target) from 47% possession, yet the scoreline remained stubbornly blank.

Çetin's Masterclass in Denial

Tarik Çetin, Fenerbahçe's goalkeeper, proved to be the evening's true architect of balance. Five saves, each one a statement: the Yellow Canaries would not be breached. Fenerbahçe's possession advantage (53%) yielded just one shot on target—a damning indictment of their creative output. Yet Çetin's reflexes ensured that Samsunspor's pressure, however relentless, never found reward. The stakes demanded defensive solidity, and the Turkish international delivered it in spades.

Six-Pointer Becomes Six-Pointer Lost

This was a match of stakes—a six-pointer in the truest sense. Fenerbahçe, fourth on 16 points, remain unbeaten (4-4-0 record). Samsunspor, seventh on 13 points, needed a statement win. Instead, they leave empty-handed. Eleven corners generated pressure but no penetration. VAR's two reversals—one goal, one penalty—may haunt Samsunspor's title ambitions. Fenerbahçe's resilience, anchored by Çetin's five-save masterclass, preserved their momentum. In the end, technology proved mightier than Musaba's blade.