Istanbul Falls to Bottom Team Jakarta, Title Hopes Over

[dsr1338]

FC Istanbul suffered a shocking 3-2 defeat against last placed Jakarta, officially ending their chances of finishing first in the league.

Jakarta came out strong, while Istanbul looked completely lost in the first half. An unlucky own goal from Alen Patak in the 14th minute gave Jakarta the lead. Things got worse when Barker Dez doubled their advantage in the 24th, and just before halftime, Chris Warrick made it 3-0. By then, Jakarta had taken 17 shots, while Istanbul only managed two.

As always, Istanbul came alive in the second half. In the 59th minute, Stefan Davidović showed great awareness, predicting a rebound and calmly finishing to bring the score to 3-1. The momentum shifted, and Istanbul pushed forward. In the 84th minute, Dobrić found Marean Dohbra in the box, who scored to make it 3-2. Unfortunately, time ran out, and Istanbul couldn’t complete the comeback.

Denis Mobek was Istanbul’s best player with a 7.5 rating, making key saves to keep the score from getting worse. Davidović and Voda followed with 7.2.

This loss stings, not just because it was against the league’s weakest team, but because it officially ended Istanbul’s shot at first place. Now, the best they can fight for is second.

[Hero19]

Oof, well this is one of those harsh realities to take in. But you have to hand it to them, Port Royal has thoroughly deserved their win. They've played exceptional football throughout the season, have dominated spectacularly throughout and have left nothing to the imagination when it comes to playing the beautiful game.

But let's isolate the positives in this. Jakarta, whom have gone an entire season with difficulties have hit a stride and it's uplifting to see. They're the underdogs that everyone wants to do well, and sadly we were the victims of their success. Well played to them.

Come the remaining two games of the season and all eyes will be on that runner up prize and, as an Istanbul player, am heavily invested in seeing how those two games for us play out. It's going down to the wire and I think everyone can agree that it's those types of seasons, the ones that have us on the edge of our seats, that have us most invested.

A final notion I think everyone can settle on, is that it's been a fantastic season, and one that we can all be proud of. Roll on the next season and the draft.