Başakşehir secures a dominant victory leaving Karagümrük in disarray

RAMS Başakşehir kicked off their Trendyol Süper Lig campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win against Fatih Karagümrük. The match, rescheduled from the first week of the season, saw both teams struggle to find their rhythm in the first half before Başakşehir's offensive quality broke the deadlock in the second.

VAR trouble and second-half surge

Başakşehir initially thought they had taken the lead in the 27th minute when Eldor Shomurodov found the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed by VAR due to an offside call on Deniz Türüç. The first half was a tense, midfield battle with neither side able to create a clear advantage, ending 0-0.

The second half, however, belonged to Başakşehir. In the 65th minute, substitute Tiago Çukur came close to scoring for Karagümrük, but it was Başakşehir who finally broke through. Brnic received a pass from Shomurodov on the left wing, drove into the box, and scored with a powerful shot into the far corner, making it 1-0. The lead was extended just four minutes later when an own goal from Karagümrük's Anıl Yiğit Çınar, who mistakenly turned a Yusuf Sarı cross into his own net, sealed the victory for Başakşehir.

Two different managerial perspectives

After the match, Başakşehir’s new coach, Nuri Şahin, expressed his happiness with the win and the team's potential. "We have a quality squad," he stated. "We have a lot of work ahead of us to implement our style of play, but we have a deep and talented team. We just need to play more vertically, speed up the game, and get more players into the box."

In stark contrast, Karagümrük manager Marcel Licka was visibly frustrated, criticizing his team's performance and attitude. "We couldn't complete three or four passes. We were practically gifting the ball to the opponent," he said. Licka was particularly upset about his team's lack of attacking threat, noting they only managed six shots in the entire match. "This is not how football is played. I'm very angry," he said, adding that some of his players needed to change their mindset or he would make "big changes" to the team. Licka also voiced his dislike for playing at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, though he admitted it was "no excuse."