By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA (AA) - Galatasaray defeated Kayserispor 3-1 on Monday evening to bag three points in an 18th match week of the Turkish Super Lig.
The Lions came to Kayseri without their star striker Bafetimbi Gomis and attacking midfielder Younes Belhanda, but being short-handed did not stop them from beating Kayserispor.
Galatasaray's striker Eren Derdiyok scored two goals in six minutes to give his team a comfortable 2-0 lead after 18 minutes.
Kaysersipor managed to find a goal in the 52nd minute, and ex-Galatasaray striker Umur Bulut's header defeated goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Galatasaray managed to defend Kayserispor's equalizing chances and scored a third goal in the 90th minute during a counter-attack. Garry Rodrigues finished Badou N'Diaye's pass inside the penalty area.
The win meant Galatasaray kept its second place in the league, only one point behind league leaders Medipol Basaksehir, who stormed Bursaspor with a 3-0 victory on Sunday.
Basaksehir's new signing Arda Turan scored his team's third goal.
Besiktas also grabbed a hard-fought victory on Sunday over Antalyaspor, with a 2-1 score. Portuguese attacker midfielder Anderson Talisca scored a brace to give his team three points.
On Saturday, Fenerbahce defeated Goztepe 2-1, thanks to a last-minute goal from Spanish striker Roberto Soldado.
Here are the standings after match week 18:
| TEAMS | O | G | B | M | A | Y | AV | P | |
| 1. | MEDIPOL BASAKSEHIR | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 39 |
| 2. | GALATASARAY | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 38 |
| 3. | FENERBAHCE | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 36 | 21 | 15 | 36 |
| 4. | BESIKTAS | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 31 | 17 | 14 | 33 |
| 5. | TRABZONSPOR | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 30 | 5 | 30 |
| 6. | KAYSERISPOR | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 30 |
| 7. | GOZTEPE | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 31 | 28 | 3 | 30 |
| 8. | SIVASSPOR | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 24 | 28 | -4 | 27 |
| 9. | BURSASPOR | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 28 | 22 | 6 | 25 |
| 10. | YENI MALATYASPOR | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 24 | -3 | 23 |
| 11. | KASIMPASA | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 33 | -5 | 22 |
| 12. | AKHISARSPOR | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 31 | -8 | 20 |
| 13. | AYTEMIZ ALANYASPOR | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 36 | -6 | 18 |
| 14. | OSMANLISPOR | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 26 | 34 | -8 | 18 |
| 15. | GENCLERBIRLIGI | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 32 | -10 | 17 |
| 16. | ANTALYASPOR | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 33 | -13 | 17 |
| 17. | KONYASPOR | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 25 | -7 | 16 |
| 18. | KARABUKSPOR | 18 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 31 | -17 | 9 |