TURKISH FOOTBALL CAN be explosive at the best of times but there were wild scenes in today’s game between Galatasaray and Trabzonspor.
The visitors, who would lose the ill-tempered contest 2-1, finished the match with just seven players on the pitch as they lost their head during the closing stages.
Erkan Zengin’s first-half penalty put Trabzonspor into an early lead but they were reduced to ten men when Ozer Hurmaci picked up two yellow cards in the space of nine second-half minutes.
They instantly paid for their indiscipline as former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski levelled proceedings shortly after the hour mark – but that was only the start of it.
Aykut Demir then lost his cool to receive two bookings in the 70th minute and things really took a turn when the referee awarded Galatasaray a late penalty.
The Trabzonspor players were incensed by the referee’s decision to award the spot-kick and then dismiss Luis Pedro Cavanda.
They surrounded him and in the heat of the moment, he dropped his card, Salih Dursun picked it up for him but then showed the red to the referee!
Needless to say, he became the fourth player to be given his marching orders.
Just your standard game in the Turkish league.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!