Rampant Besiktas swoop to first Turkish title since 2009

Rampant Besiktas swoop to first Turkish title since 2009

ISTANBUL - Istanbul side Besiktas on Sunday clinched the Turkish Super Lig title with a game to spare, topping the league for the first time since 2009 and claiming Turkey's sole automatic Champions League spot.

Members of Besiktas celebrate after Mario Gomez scored a goal on May 15, 2016 in Istanbul

Driven on by over 40,000 fans inside their new stadium on the Bosphorus, Besiktas thrashed Osmanlispor of Ankara 3-1 to gain an unassailable advantage over local rivals Fenerbahce going into the coming week's final round of games.

Brazilian centre-back Marcelo Guedes put the hosts two goals ahead with strikes in rapid succession with just over 20 minutes on the clock.

German international striker Mario Gomez, the standout player for Besiktas this season and one of the most successful foreign imports into Turkish football in recent years, added a third just after half-time.

Striker Pierre Webo of Cameroon pulled one back for the visitors Osmanlispor in the 74th minute. But by then, the celebrations were already beginning.

The outcome, which gives Besiktas the 14th league title in their history, sparked wild celebrations in the city with fans sounding car horns in a cacophony of noise and letting off fireworks in the night sky.

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