ISTANBUL
Istanbul-based football “Lions” Galatasaray made a good start in the Ziraat Turkish Cup by beating Eskisehirspor 4-2 in Group G match at the Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul Wednesday night.
In the fifth minute of the match, visitors Eskisehirspor took the lead after Serdar Ozkan's free kick, 1-0.
A minute later, Galatasaray were awarded a penalty after Eskisehirspor's Semih Guler handballed in the box. Galatasaray's Macedonian forward Goran Pandev missed the chance that was expertly saved by Eskisehirspor goalkeeper Sinan Oren.
The home team equalized the level when Turkish skipper Selcuk Inan found the net by a free kick in the 15th minute, 1-1.
Ten minutes before the half time, Pandev was brought down in the box by Semih Guler in the area and the referee pointed the white spot once again.
Lions midfielder Selcuk put the ball in the net successfully, 2-1. This was his second goal in the match.
In the 57th minute, Galatasaray midfielder Felipe Melo was shown his second yellow card after penalizing his opponent Raheem Lawal and was sent off the field.
Four minutes later, Eskisehirspor scored the equalizer when Turkish youngster Mehmet Erkut Senturk's drove the ball in the penalty box. The ball hit Galatasaray left-back Alex Telles and went over Lions goalkeeper Sinan Bolat, 2-2.
In the 83rd minute, Galatasaray's Portuguese wonder kid Bruma's goal made his team take the lead once again. Bruma made the close range shot despite the pressure made by three opponents in the area, 3-2.
Through the end of the game, Lions made it four. Turkish forward Umut Bulut assisted by his teammate Emre Colak struck in the box, 4-2. This goal sealed the victory for Galatasaray.
Reigning Turkish Cup winners Galatasaray got three points in their first match in Group G.
The Ziraat Turkish Cup, an annual domestic tournament in Turkey, is organized by the Turkish Football Federation. It is open to teams from every division and includes the highest one, Spor Toto Super League, and a lower one called Turkish Football Federation First League.
In addition, there are several teams from the second and third divisions competing in the Turkish Cup.
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