Galatasaray Women beat Nilüfer Belediyespor 3-1 in their opening Sultan's League fixture on Saturday. The result gives the hosts their first victory of the campaign and leaves the visitors still searching for points.
Both sides came into the match with a loss on their record, so there was little separating them on paper. To be fair, the table tells you nothing yet — one game played, one loss each, one point apiece. That sort of balance tends to disappear once the whistle blows.
And here's the thing, the match unfolded more or less as we had it down. We gave Galatasaray a 71 per cent chance of winning, and they showed why. They took control early, and by then it was clear the visitors would struggle to get a foothold.
Nilüfer had results to build on — a 3-1 win over Afyon Ladies, a 3-2 victory against Beşiktaş — but those outings came weeks ago. By the time they turned up at this fixture, the momentum had shifted elsewhere. The hosts came out with purpose and did not let up.
Three goals to one is a comfortable margin, and it reflects the flow of the game rather than any late drama. Galatasaray worked their chances, and when the opportunity came they took it. Nilüfer could only manage a consolation, and even that felt like a consolation.
The win moves Galatasaray off the bottom of the table, while Nilüfer remain in tenth place with the same point tally. It is only the opening round, but the gap between the two sides was visible from the first whistle.
