Turkish Super Lig Weekly: Fred stars for Fenerbahce while Eyupspor continue to impress
Hat-trick hero Fred given a helping hand
Galatasaray, Besiktas, Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir were not in action on the weekend, with the Turkish Football Federation giving all of them extra time off to focus on their upcoming European qualifiers.
With Fenerbahce having already secured a place in the Europa League following their defeat in the Champions League third qualifying round, they had the chance to claim an important league win in the meantime.
And they did just that, thumping a timid Rizespor 5-0. It was a good display from Jose Mourinho's men, as former Manchester United midfielder Fred starred with a hat-trick. However, he was given a huge helping hand by goalkeeper Gokhan Akkan, who had one of the worst performances in goal that you are ever likely to see.
The Turk should have dealt with all of Fred's efforts and was at fault for four of the five goals overall.
Fenerbahce won't care one bit though, as they end this matchweek at the top of the Super Lig table.
Eyupspor continue to motor
They may be Super Lig debutants, but Eyupspor have adjusted to life in Turkey's top division in incredible style. A 1-0 away win at Sivasspor meant they soared to second in the league, with seven points from a possible nine. Ahmed Kutucu's stunning strike proved to be the difference between the sides.
Arda Turan continues to impress in his second year of management, translating the intelligence that he demonstrated as a player into management, with impressive coaching coupled with his passion for the game.
With the current trend around Europe of appointing young managers, he will surely be in demand from a number of top Turkish clubs if he continues in this vein.
Meanwhile, after two back-to-back losses to begin their season, Bodrumspor were finally able to seal their first-ever win in the Super Lig, beating Konyaspor 3-1, despite a sensational free-kick from Pedrinho.
One team who are in serious trouble, however, are Adana Demirspor. The club were recently hit with a transfer ban by FIFA, and are in a perilous position financially. The squad is well below par, and they have resorted to starting a 15-year-old in goal.
On the weekend, they managed to fight back from two goals down against Kasimpasa to salvage a 2-2 draw, scoring in added time. Yet with just one point to their name this season, they will be hoping that their situation is sorted and their ban is overturned before the transfer window is closed, so they can make some signings and strengthen their team.
Former Fenerbahce midfielder Alex de Souza claimed his maiden win as a Super Lig coach, as Antalyaspor staged a mighty comeback to beat Hatayspor 3-2. A game with three penalties and a red card, it was just a normal day in the office in the Turkish Super Lig.
Highlight of the Week
On their way to their first league victory, Bodrumspor scored this superb goal, playing out from the back and stitching together a gorgeous move.
Team of the Week
The star of the weekend is undoubtedly Fenerbahce man Fred, who is joined by teammates Allan Saint-Maximin and Dominik Livakovic. Eyupspor also have three players who made the cut through Flashscore's player rating system.