The Trabzon camp also launched a merciless attack on 37-year-old referee Mustafa Kamil Habitoğlu, who became a father earlier this month, calling the "harmful" man all kinds of names and accusing him of deliberately plotting the downfall of the Storm. To recap the controversy, Trabzonspor claimed that Bursaspor's winning goal, by the young Sercan Yıldırım in the first minute of added time (the 91st), was scored from an offside position. The referee's decision is final in the beautiful game, but the Storm has just not been able to accept that defeat.
Our preview to the Trabzonspor-Eskişehir match on Saturday had the headline "Storm in gloomy mood as it takes the stage today," and that was exactly the case as the feelings of anger, frustration, disgust, desperation and exasperation were evident on the faces of the Trabzonspor players as they walked into Avni Aker for the match.
The Storm failed to concentrate in the opening minutes of the game and looked like it wouldn't be able to put even two or three passes together. It was during one of those lapses in concentration in the 24th minute that newcomer Eskişehirspor, popularly known as "Es es es ki ki ki es ki es ki es," or -- rather less of a mouthful -- as "Es Es," scored. Brazilian striker Anderson Ricardo Dos Santos, capitalizing on a pass of sheer perfection from Serdar Özbayraktar, made no mistake in putting the ball into the back of the Trabzon net.
The goal in a way awoke the Storm from its trance as coach Ersun Yanal beckoned his men to go forward from the sidelines. Trabzon was awarded a penalty in the 28th minute, but sleep-walking Guinea winger İbrahima Yattara shot straight into the safe hands of Eskişehir's Croatian keeper Vanja Ivesa.
But the Croat could not stop striker Gökhan Ünal's 30-meter shot in the 36th minute, which gave the Storm the equalizer. A high-tempo second half produced lots of action at the goalmouth for the Trabzon lads and they were rewarded when man of the match Gökhan scored again in the 76th to put the match beyond reach. The near-capacity crowd at Avni Aker was smiling and erupted into song again.
A minute later Eskişehir was reduced to 10 men after striker Tayfun Türkmen was sent off by referee Fırat Aydınus for a second bookable offense -- an infringement on substitute Nigeria junior international striker Isaac Promise. The game finished with no more goals and so Trabzon won 2-1.
"For one week we were all stressed out," Yanal said after the match, referring to the tension that erupted in the wake of the Bursa debacle. "For that week, everything other than soccer was being discussed, it was very stressful," he lamented.
We've said it before and we are saying it again now, mistakes are part and parcel of the beautiful game, and therefore they should be accepted in good faith.
The Eskişehir players and their coach, Riza Çalımbay, a former Beşiktaş and Turkey captain, protested against the penalty kick that was awarded in the 30th minute. They also vehemently objected to the dismissal of Tayfun, with some delay and confusion following.
Furthermore, Trabzonspor's Argentine playmaker Gustavo Colman ought to have been shown a second yellow card and sent off for his mock applause of the referee when he was booked in the 56th minute. But he wasn't because the referee failed to act in accordance with the FIFA rule book. This week, it's Eskişehir's turn to cry foul play and get mad. No one at Trabzon seems to be complaining.
"No cry, no milk; more cry, more milk," says a popular African proverb.
Elsewhere in the Turkcell Super League on Saturday, Kayserispor crushed poor Hacettepe 3-0 in the capital and İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor bashed visiting relegation-bound Kocaelispor 5-0.
Sunday's result: Gençlerbirliği 1, Sivasspor 2; Denizlispor 1, Ankaragücü 1 and Antalyaspor 1, Ankaraspor 1.
