Black Eagles swoop to claim Turkish crown

Beşiktaş JK have won their first Turkish title since 2002/03 with goals from Filip Hološko and İbrahim Toraman earning them a 2-1 win at Denizlispor while their nearest rivals Sivasspor lost by the same score at Galatasaray AŞ.

Istanbul celebrates
The Black Eagles' 13th success ensured that the title remains in Istanbul for the 25th season in succession, while Sivasspor's failure to upset the odds also means that another statistic remains the same: only four clubs have ever won the Turkish title since the first league title was won by Beşiktaş in 1957. Beşiktaş have also become the first side since Galatasaray in 1999/00 to take the double, having already won the Turkish Cup.

'Volcano inside'
Slovakian striker Hološko eased Beşiktaş's nerves, chasing Edouard Cissé's ball through on goal to strike a 28th-minute opener in Denizli, with İbrahim thumping home a second just after the hour. Brazilian midfielder Douglas Braga replied for the home side late on, but too late to change the result. "We have ended a long adventure successfully," purred coach Mustafa Denizli. "We totally deserved it. It's great to complete the double. I am so happy that it feels as if I have a volcano inside me."

Runners-up slot
A 2-1 loss in Istanbul had no bearing on Sivasspor's final standing, and they will enter the third qualifying round of next season's UEFA Champions League while Beşiktaş progress straight to the group stage. Trabzonspor lost 2-1 at home to Fenerbahçe, but still finished directly above their opponents in third place. At the bottom of the table, Konyaspor have taken the final relegation place, with Kocaelispor and Hacettepe SK long-since resigned to going down.