Ucl return looming as Osimhen omission and Icardi strain reshape Süper Lig title race
Konyaspor’s 2-0 victory over Galatasaray at the Medaş Konya Büyükşehir Stadium snapped the champions’ 10-match unbeaten run and injected fresh life into the Süper Lig title fight. The result matters now because it comes days before a crucial ucl return leg in Turin and immediately narrowed the margin atop the table.
Adil Demirbağ and Blaz Kramer deliver at Medaş Konya Büyükşehir Stadium
Adil Demirbağ opened the scoring in the 75th minute and Blaz Kramer doubled the lead six minutes later, securing a famous home win. The goals, struck late in the match at the MEDAŞ Konya Metropolitan Stadium, exploited a Galatasaray side that had dominated possession in the second half but lacked a cutting edge in the final third. Konyaspor’s counter efficiency moved them up to 23 points and further clear of the relegation scrap.
Osimhen’s omission: knee discomfort, contract terms and pay questions
Victor Osimhen was not named in the matchday squad. The club framed the decision as a precaution over right knee discomfort, but the fuller account shows the striker told head coach Okan Buruk he was feeling pain and did not want to risk aggravating it ahead of the return leg in Turin. Osimhen arrived last summer in a 75-million-euro transfer that set a Turkish record and is contracted to the club through 2029. Turkish media have also said he has not yet received January and February salaries despite a 21 million euros net annual package, a delay that has raised morale questions. While teammates trained outdoors the following day, Osimhen worked alone in the gym as the club prioritised preserving him for European competition.
Icardi’s halftime withdrawal after training stiffness
Mauro Icardi, the 32-year-old Argentine who has been central to Galatasaray’s attack since 2022, started as the lone striker because Osimhen was unavailable and squad alternatives were limited. He had cut short the final training session before the trip to Konya with stiffness in his back and neck, and that uncertainty carried into the match: his movement lacked usual sharpness, he found it difficult to press and link play, and Okan Buruk substituted him at halftime after 45 subdued minutes. Commentators criticised the change without knowledge of the physical issues that shaped the selection.
Ucl return leg at Allianz Juventus Stadium sets selection priorities
The timing of the defeat is inseparable from Galatasaray’s European commitments. The first leg of the Champions League play-off was a 5-2 win in Istanbul, a match in which Galatasaray secured a sizable advantage despite not having scored from Osimhen; he had been influential in the tie by pressing, stealing the ball twice and setting up others. The return kicks off on Wednesday at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 20. 00 GMT (21. 00 CET). Juventus face a difficult task after losing the first leg 5-2, having been 2-1 up at half-time before a Juan Cabal red card shifted momentum. Osimhen has said his knee is fine, with only a little pain that kept him out of the weekend league match, and thanked the medical team for getting him back with the squad. The ucl fixture clearly influenced Buruk’s heavy rotation for the domestic trip: the coach made six changes to his starting XI after the European victory earlier in the week.
Standings swing: Galatasaray’s lead reduced as Fenerbahçe loom
The defeat leaves Galatasaray on 55 points from 23 matches while Fenerbahçe sit on 52 points from 22 games, narrowing the gap to three points. Domenico Tedesco’s Fenerbahçe – unbeaten domestically – have a direct chance to erase that margin when they face Kasımpaşa on Monday, Feb. 23; a victory would pull them level on points. Fenerbahçe endured a bruising 3-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest in the Europa League mid-week but remain unbeaten in the league. Galatasaray is chasing a fourth consecutive title and Fenerbahçe are aiming to end a championship drought that has stretched more than a decade. The momentum shift after Konyaspor’s win leaves Okan Buruk’s side with little room for error for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.
The immediate effect is clear: late clinical strikes by Konyaspor have tightened the title race and forced Galatasaray to balance fitness management and rotation against the demands of a deep ucl campaign, underscoring how European ties can directly reshape domestic title trajectories.
