Sneijder seals Turkish Cup for Galatasaray
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
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Wesley Sneijder's 70th-minute goal was sufficient for Galatasaray AŞ to overcome plucky Eskişehirspor and claim the Turkish Cup for a record 15th time.
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Galatasaray AŞ ended their nine-year wait to lift the Turkish Cup by defeating Eskişehirspor 1-0 in the final at the Konya Büyükşehir Belediyesi Atatürk Stadium.
Man of the match Wesley Sneijder scored the winner in the 70th minute to ensure a record 15th triumph in the competition for Cimbom. Chance were at a premium in a cagey contest but when Eskişehirspor failed to clear a right-wing cross by Sabri Sarıoğlu, Sneijder pounced after Selçuk İnan's shot had been kept out.
Roberto Mancini, who has now won domestic cups with five different clubs, said: "We wanted to win the trophy and we managed to do that. Every final is difficult and no fight is easy. Maybe we are tired now but it is was worth it to win the cup."
Captain Sabri Sarıoğlu expressed his delight, having come on as a substitute the last time Galatasaray claimed the trophy. "Galatasaray are the team for the finals," he said. "We were aiming to lift our 15th trophy and we were successful in this. I was in the squad when we were in the final back in 2005. Eskişehirspor were a very good too but the Galatasaray community needed this cup win and we are so happy to be bringing it to them."
