Dani Güiza may have finally found his rhythm with Fenerbahçe. The Spanish striker scored in his second straight league match on Sunday to help the Canaries to a 2-1 victory against visiting Eskişehirspor. Fener built a 2-0 lead but held on after a late Eskişehir goal to grab three crucial points in week 26.
Fenerbahçe coach Luis Aragones was without several key players on Sunday, most notably team captain Alex de Souza and defender Diego Lugano. Spanish midfielder Josico got the start on Sunday, and Gökhan Gönül also was in the coach's first eleven after being a gametime decision. He suffered an injury last week and had missed the team's most recent training sessions.
The first half started with both teams having opportunities. Deivid de Souza got a good look ten minutes in with a shot from the middle that sailed high to open the Fener opportunities. Eskişehirspor would get a good look six minutes later with a cross from the right to Souleymane Youla, but the pass led the star too far in front and he couldn't connect.
The first great opportunity for the Canaries came in the 22nd minute. On a Fener attack, goalkeeper Vanja Ivesa came out to defend with Uğur Boral and Deivid de Souza on the break. Uğur was able to get the ball past Ivesa to find an open goal, but the Eskişehirspor defense was able to recover just in time to clear the ball and prevent the goal. The visitors would follow that up with attacks of their own, getting two attempts on goal in a one-minute span just moments later. They would continue to utilize star Souleymane Youla on the attack and nearly set up the first goal, but Selçuk Şahin made a fantastic tackle to kill the attack.
The first half was characterized by sloppy passing by the home side, but both teams had opportunities to score early on. The positioning by the Eskişehirspor defenders was superb throughout the first half, able to prevent the Canaries from setting up many good looks in the first 45 minutes. After an unproductive first half, the two teams went into the break scoreless.
The second half opened with Eskişehir nearly finding an open goal like the Canaries did in the first half. With Volkan Demirel out to defend, a header bouncing toward goal was cleared just in time by Yasin Çakmak to prevent the game's first goal in the 48th minute. Çakmak replaced defender Edu Dracena, who left the game with a foot injury. Edu's injury would be followed a few minutes later by one to Uğur Boral. In the 50th minute, the midfielder collided with a defender on a Fener attempt and left the game with a laceration to his eyebrow.
In the 58th minute, the Canaries would finally get on the scoreboard. On the attack, a Roberto Carlos cross from the left found Deivid de Souza in the box who flipped the ball past Ivesa to put the Canaries up 1-0. Fener looked significantly sharper in the second half, limiting the visitors' chances to a few looks by Engin Baytar, while creating a much more productive offense themselves. Eskişehir nearly equalized in the 84th minute, however. Gökhan Emreciksin cleared an Eskişehir attempt, but a resulting bicycle kick hit the top of the net as it just cleared the goal.
The Canaries would seal the win in the 87th minute. Dani Güiza, coming off a fantastic performance for the Spanish National Team last week, would score his second goal in as many league matches for the Canaries. On a long pass from Semih Şentürk, the Spaniard found himself open on the left side with no one but the goalkeeper to beat. Güiza slid the ball past Ivesa into the right side of the net, making it a 2-0 match.
With only moments remaining in regulation, Eskişehirspor would make it interesting. A corner for the visitors found Batuhan Karadeniz in the box for a header, cutting the Canaries' lead in half. With four minutes of stoppage time added on, the home side would hang on for a 2-1 lead and a crucial three points in league play. The team now looks ahead to the world's biggest derby next weekend. They'll travel across the Bosphorous to take on Galatasaray at Ali Sami Yen Stadium next Sunday.
STADIUM: Şükrü Saraçoğlu
REFEREES: Bülent Yıldırım , Muharrem Yılmaz , Nihat Mızrak
FENERBAHÇE: Volkan Demirel, Roberto Carlos, Edu Dracena (Yasin Çakmak - 46th ), Önder Turacı, Gökhan Gönül, Josico (Deniz Barış - 55th ), Selçuk Şahin, Uğur Boral (Gökhan Emreciksin - 58th ), Dani Güiza, Semih Şentürk, Deivid de Souza
ESKİŞEHİRSPOR: Ivesa, El Saka (Tayfun - 52nd), Vucko, Koray, Sezgin, Doğa , Emre Toraman (Poljak - 71st), Engin, Batuhan, Serdar (Bülent Kocabey - 79th), Youla
GOALS: Deivid (59th) Güiza (87th) (Fenerbahçe) Batuhan (90+1) (Eskişehirspor)
YELLOW CARDS: Emre Toraman, Engin, Doğa (Eskişehirspor) Önder (Fenerbahçe)
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