Onikisubat beat Altkeima 3:0 in the Turkish Cup on Thursday evening. The result came as a surprise to many, including us — we had backed the away side with 59 per cent confidence. Things came to a head in a way nobody expected, and the home side refused to go away. Altkeima, sitting top of the table with one win already, left with nothing to show for their efforts.
Onikisubat have not played a league game yet this season, so this cup tie was their first competitive match. Altkeima, by contrast, had already taken three points from one outing. The home crowd roared them on, and the visitors seemed to turn to the kids when pressure mounted. The scoreboard told the story: 3:0, clean and decisive.
We had given the away victory our nod, but the match went another way. Altkeima's recent form showed flashes — a 3:0 win over Gençlik on Wednesday, but also a heavy 0:3 defeat to Ziraat Bankası Ankara. By then, confidence can wobble. The home side, meanwhile, had been winning comfortably in friendlies earlier in the year, including a 3:0 over Adanaspor in February.
What matters now is the table position. Altkeima remain first with three points from one game. Onikisubat move into third, though they have zero wins, zero draws, zero losses — and zero points in the league standings. The cup result is a statement, but the league season has barely begun for both sides.
