Coming off the back of an impressive performance against Atletico Madrid in the middle of the week, which saw them all but confirm their spot in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs, Galatasaray were in Super Lig action at bottom-of-the-table Karagumruk on Saturday.
Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara gave the three-time defending champions a 1-0 lead after just 30 seconds, but Karagumruk hit back on the 27th-minute mark.
It was a poor first half from Galatasaray, who were constantly getting caught on the counterattack and were struggling for balance in the middle of the park.
However, at half time, Mario Lemina came on, and the complexion of the contest completely changed.
The Gabonese holding midfielder is one of the most important players at the club and the only number six in the squad. His solidity and strength make Galatasaray a considerably better team.
The next 45 minutes saw Galatasaray take firm control of the game and stop leaking chances, as Sara netted his second of the game with a header from Roland Sallai's excellent cross, before Victor Osimhen thumped home to give them, in the end, a pretty comfortable 3-1 win.
Karagumruk remain slumped at the very bottom of the table, seven points from safety and staring down the barrel of relegation.
Galatasaray have been pretty busy this window, signing Napoli's Noa Lang and Girona's Yaser Asprilla to bolster their attacking options. They are still active in the market as they search for another holding midfielder to support Lemina and rotate with him, given he is 32 and tends to pick up injuries.
Their fine week was made even better on Sunday, when the impressive Goztepe held on for a 1-1 draw at Fenerbahce.
Looking to cut the gap at the summit back down to a single point, Fenerbahce took the lead after 17 minutes, with Dorgeles Nene tapping home from Anthony Musaba's cross.
But they were pegged back just under 10 minutes later, as Janderson got ahead of his defender to poke past Ederson in goal.
From then on, Fenerbahce attempted to knock down Goztepe's sturdy door, firing in crosses and getting balls into the box with very little success.
Incredibly, they had 82% posssession in the game, the highest ever recorded in a Super Lig game since Opta stats began in Turkey in 2014/15.
So Fenerbahce had to settle for yet another draw, falling three points behind Galatasaray. They remain the only team unbeaten this season in the Super Lig, yet have drawn seven of their 19 games, demonstrating the fact that they struggle to open up teams that sit deep and defend.
And Goztepe are a prime example of a team that do this. They have the stingiest defence in Turkey, conceding a remarkably low 11 goals this campaign.
As a result, they currently sit fourth in the table, occupying the UEFA Conference League spot. They have a real chance to qualify for Europe.
Trabzonspor win again, Besiktas draw
Trabzonspor continued to remain within touching distance of the Istanbul giants at the top, as goals from Paul Onuachu and Oleksandr Zubkov guided them to a battling 2-1 win over Kasimpasa, who had Kerem Demirbay sent off at the end of the game for a bizarre pair of yellow cards.
Onuachu is the second top scorer in the Super Lig with 12 goals, despite missing a chunk of the season due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Trabzon sit third in the table, two points off Fenerbahce and five off Galatasaray. They remain in the equation.
Meanwhile, Eyupspor claimed a vital 2-2 draw at home to Besiktas in their bid to remain in the Super Lig. They are currently 16th in the table, just one point from safety.
After losing their brilliant coach, Arda Turan, to Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer, Eyupspor are suffering from second-season syndrome. They finished sixth in their debut campaign in the top division last season, but things are proving to be far more difficult.
For Besiktas, it was a really disappointing result and performance, especially considering they conceded 15 shots and numerous clear opportunities against a team that is really struggling.
It proved to be a missed opportunity to close the gap on Goztepe.
Team of the Week
Galatasaray's Sara is Flashscore's Player of the Week, according to our very own internal ratings system, after his brace against Karagumruk. He is joined by teammate Ilkay Gundogan.
Eyupspor trio Jerome Onguene, Lenny Pintor and Jankat Yilmaz also make the starting XI, while Fenerbahce's Nene and Milan Skriniar find a spot.
