Be?ikta? back in driver's seat of Turkish league

Be?ikta? reclaimed the top seat in the Super Toto Super League Feb. 8 after four weeks, in a season which has already turned into a Sisyphus effort, only one day after rival Fenerbahçe failed to find the net at home against Black Sea giants Trabzonspor.

The Black Eagles came out flat in the first 45 minutes of their away game against Çaykur Rizespor. Both sides tried to break the deadlock in weak attempts, as Be?ikta? narrowly escaped a nightmare in the remaining 45 minutes, despite two red cards to its rival.

Be?ikta? stepped up a gear with the start of the second half, and got rewarded in the 59th minute when Argentinian playmaker Jose Ernesto Sosa, working a neat pass game with Demba Ba, found the net from a narrow angle. Rize?s K?vanç Karaka? was immediately sent off by referee Cüneyt Çak?r due to bad language after the goal. Still, the ten-man Rize recovered quickly, as Sercan brought the sides on level terms three minutes later with a header following a poor mistake by goalkeeper Tolga Zengin.

After Koray received a red card in the 65th minute and left Rizespor two men short, the game turned in Be?ikta?? favor once again. The Eagles? pressure paid off two minutes before full-time, as Demba Ba put them back in front for good with a penalty-kick, granting the Istanbul side its ninth away win in ten away games this season.

?After a poor first half, I told the lads to pull themselves together or otherwise, and they got the message. We picked up a valuable win and three points tonight,? Be?ikta? coach Slaven Bilic said after the game, congratulating Çaykur Rize for a great effort.

?Since we?ve set our eyes on the league title, we have to get used to these types of tough matches,? Sosa said. ?After conceding a silly...