Istanbul GS took on Alanya BL in the Turkish Cup on 8 October 2026, and the visitors walked away with a 2:3 victory. Both sides sat level on zero points before kick-off, so the result shifted the balance entirely. We had backed the hosts at 70 per cent confidence, but the match ran its own course.
By then the visitors had already shown they could trouble their opponents. Just ten days earlier they had beaten Istanbul GS 3:2, and this time around they pulled off a similar outcome. The away end never stopped, and the hosts simply could not find a way through.
What stuck with me was how Alanya BL managed to hold their shape. They saw it out after going behind, and that kind of composure does not appear out of nowhere. Istanbul GS had their moments, but the visitors turned it on when it mattered.
The recent form lines up in an interesting way. Istanbul GS had beaten Sport Toto 3:1 on 28 September, while Alanya BL had edged past Ordu Telekom 3:1 on the same day. Both teams came into this fixture with momentum, but the visitors carried theirs further.
To be fair, the standings tell us very little at this stage. Both clubs sit on zero games, zero wins, zero points — the table has not started yet. What matters is that Alanya BL now have a result to build on, and Istanbul GS have a lesson to learn.
The away side are running out of games in this competition, but they still hold every card. Three goals is a decent return, and they did not need more. Istanbul GS will have to find a different approach next time.