Fenerbahçe beats Galatasaray in Istanbul derby

Fenerbahçe defeated arch-rival Galatasaray 2-0 in a derby on Nov. 20 in the Spor Toto Super League at its Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium in Istanbul to continue its recent renaissance.    

The Yellow Canaries opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time through Dutch forward Robin van Persie.

The former Manchester United and Arsenal player made sure of the points 12 minutes from time with his second goal of the match.

Fenerbahçe dominated the play, with Galatasaray unable to muster much offense.      
  
Some Fenerbahçe regulars were absent from the derby. Turkish central midfielder Mehmet Topal was suspended, and Dutch winger Jeremain Lens was forced to sit out after sustaining an injury in a friendly with the Netherlands during the week.

The win raised Fenerbahçe to third in the league with 21 points, taking them a point clear of their opponents.

Galatasaray has failed to win away at Fenerbahçe for an astonishing 17 years in the league, during which time it has won the UEFA Cup, Super Cup, seven league titles, five Turkish Cups, and five domestic Super Cups.        

The perennial rivalry between the two teams started over a century ago, on Jan. 17, 1909, with a special match that ended 2-0 in Galatasaray's favor.        

Neither team was defeated at home during last season's matches.