ADDS TURKISH PRESIDENT AND SPORTS MINISTER'S CONGRATULATORY TWEETS, GENCLERBIRLIGI'S RELEGATION TO LOWER DIVISION
By Can Erozden
ANKARA (AA) - Besiktas have become the 2021 Turkish Super Lig champions on Saturday.
Black Eagles beat Goztepe 2-1 in the away match to be crowned as the 2020/2021 season winners.
Besiktas took the 1-0 lead in the minute 10 as Croatian defender Domagoj Vida scored the opener with a header.
Goztepe's Alpaslan Ozturk put the ball into Besiktas' net, making a close-range finish in the 24th minute to level the match, 1-1.
However, Besiktas did not give up. Algerian winger Rachid Ghezzal gave a 2-1 lead to Besiktas, scoring from a penalty kick in the 69th minute.
Besiktas secured the 2-1 victory to win the title. They previously won it in 2017.
The Black Eagles had 84 points in 40 matches to win the Super Lig, their 16th league title in history.
Similar to them, second-place Galatasaray bagged 84 points as well. But Besiktas' goal average was 45, only one more than Galatasaray.
Meanwhile, Galatasaray beat Helenex Yeni Malatyaspor 3-1 at home, but it was not enough for the Lions to topple Besiktas.
Galatasaray were 1-0 behind as Yeni Malatyaspor forward Adem Buyuk scored the opener in the 39th minute in Istanbul.
The Lions came back in the second half with consecutive goals scored by forwards Halil Dervisoglu and Ryan Babel, 2-1.
Galatasaray's Ogulcan Caglayan named the result 3-1, scoring in the injury time.
During the match visitors' Turkish goalie Ertac Ozbir had many important saves as he did not let Galatasaray extend the gap, which meant a failure for the Lions.
- President Erdogan congratulates Besiktas
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu congratulated Besiktas each for the team's domestic triumph.
Erdogan said on Twitter that he congratulated the Besiktas team and fans "in a heartfelt way" for winning the 2021 title.
In addition to Erdogan, Kasapoglu also congratulated the Black Eagles' football players, club's technical staff, board and fans for league success.
- Fenerbahce come 3rd
The other title contenders, Fenerbahce, completed the season in the third position.
Fenerbahce toppled Hes Kablo Kayserispor 2-1 with late goals scored by forward Enner Valencia from the penalty and defender Serdar Aziz to bag 82 points in 40 matches.
Despite the win, the Yellow Canaries trailed behind second-place Galatasaray.
- Genclerbirligi relegated
Genclerbirligi from the Turkish capital Ankara have been relegated from the Super Lig over a 2-1 loss to Trabzonspor in the away match.
With 38 points, Genclerbirligi came 20th in the league table to play in the TFF First League next season.
So Genclerbirligi joined already relegated Yukatel Denizlispor, MKE Ankaragucu and Buyuksehir Belediye Erzurumspor.
Genclerbirligi were previously relegated to a lower league in 2018 but returned to the Super Lig in 2019.
Meanwhile, next season there will be no Ankara teams in the top-flight Turkish division as Ankaragucu clinched to be relegated in the previous match week.
- Results
MKE Ankaragucu - Aytemiz Alanyaspor: 0-1
Demir Grup Sivasspor - Kasimpasa: 2-1
Caykur Rizespor - Medipol Basaksehir: 0-2
Atakas Hatayspor - Gaziantep: 0-1
Fatih Karagumruk - Yukatel Denizlispor: 5-1
Fraport TAV Antalyaspor - Ittifak Holding Konyaspor: 0-0
Goztepe - Besiktas: 1-2
Trabzonspor - Genclerbirligi: 2-1
Galatasaray - Helenex Yeni Malatyaspor: 3-1
Hes Kablo Kayserispor - Fenerbahce: 1-2
- League table
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |
| 1.BESIKTAS (Champions) | 40 | 26 | 6 | 8 | 89 | 44 | 45 | 84 |
| 2.GALATASARAY | 40 | 26 | 6 | 8 | 80 | 36 | 44 | 84 |
| 3.FENERBAHCE | 40 | 25 | 7 | 8 | 72 | 41 | 31 | 82 |
| 4.TRABZONSPOR | 40 | 19 | 14 | 7 | 50 | 37 | 13 | 71 |
| 5.DEMIR GRUP SIVASSPOR | 40 | 16 | 17 | 7 | 54 | 43 | 11 | 65 |
| 6.ATAKAS HATAYSPOR | 40 | 17 | 10 | 13 | 62 | 53 | 9 | 61 |
| 7.AYTEMIZ ALANYASPOR | 40 | 17 | 9 | 14 | 58 | 45 | 13 | 60 |
| 8.FATIH KARAGUMRUK | 40 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 64 | 52 | 12 | 60 |
| 9.GAZIANTEP | 40 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 59 | 51 | 8 | 58 |
| 10.GOZTEPE | 40 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 59 | 59 | 0 | 51 |
| 11.ITTIFAK HOLDING KONYASPOR | 40 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 49 | 48 | 1 | 50 |
| 12.MEDIPOL BASAKSEHIR | 40 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 43 | 55 | -12 | 48 |
| 13.CAYKUR RIZESPOR | 40 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 53 | 69 | -16 | 48 |
| 14.KASIMPASA | 40 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 47 | 57 | -10 | 46 |
| 15.HELENEX YENI MALATYASPOR | 40 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 49 | 53 | -4 | 45 |
| 16.FRAPORT-TAV ANTALYASPOR | 40 | 9 | 17 | 14 | 41 | 55 | -14 | 44 |
| 17.HES KABLO KAYSERISPOR | 40 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 35 | 52 | -17 | 41 |
| 18.BUYUKSEHIR BELEDIYE ERZURUMSPOR | 40 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 44 | 68 | -24 | 40 |
| 19.MKE ANKARAGUCU | 40 | 10 | 8 | 22 | 46 | 65 | -19 | 38 |
| 20.GENCLERBIRLIGI | 40 | 10 | 8 | 22 | 44 | 76 | -32 | 38 |
| 21.YUKATEL DENIZLISPOR | 40 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 38 | 77 | -39 | 28 |