Galatasaray beat Kocaelispor and retain Süper Lig lead
In Türkiye, Galatasaray defeated Kocaelispor 1-0 at home in a Süper Lig match and retained first place in the standings after five games. Team captain Abdülkerim Bardakcı scored the only goal in the 71st minute.
Disallowed goal and efforts off the woodwork
In the 12th minute, the hosts thought they had opened the scoring. Kocaelispor goalkeeper Serhat Öztaşdelen saved a long-range shot from Lucas Torreira, after which Rafael Leão hit the crossbar and Deniz Gül headed the ball into the net. However, following a VAR review, the goal was disallowed due to Deniz's foul on the goalkeeper.
In the 31st minute, Deniz Gül hit the right post with a left-footed shot from a tight angle. Seven minutes later, Kocaelispor launched a quick attack during which Den Agyei struck the left post from the left side of the penalty area. At the end of the first half, Öztaşdelen denied Leão and also saved a close-range header from Bardakcı.
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Bardakcı's goal
As Anadolu Agency reports, Bardakcı scored the decisive goal with a powerful low left-footed shot from distance. Seven minutes later, Roland Sallai could have doubled Galatasaray's advantage, but Öztaşdelen tipped his direct free kick onto the crossbar and later helped his team clear the danger.
This victory was Galatasaray's fourth in five league matches. The team has 13 points and leads the Süper Lig table, while Kocaelispor have nine points.
