Ending a 38-year thirst for a city that is associated with football, Trabzonspor won the 2021-22 Turkish Süper Lig crown on Saturday following a 2-2 draw against Antalyaspor.
It was the Black Sea Storm’s first title since 1984, although the club came very close to the trophy in six seasons, in 1994–95, 1995–96, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2010–11 and 2019–20.
In addition to the sold-out Şenol Güneş Stadium, tens of thousands of fans flocked to the city’s Atatürk Square and a public garden established in Trabzonspor’s former home ground Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, which was demolished in 2019.
Andreas Cornelius drew first blood early in the third minute and the first half ended 1-0 at the Medical Park Stadium in Trabzon.
The second half started with Antalyaspor having the wind at their back. Alassane Ndao equalized the score in the 51st minute and just five minutes later, Fredy was set to take a penalty kick. But Trabzonspor goalie Uğurcan Çakır denied the penalty kick and put the fans’ mind at ease.
Six minutes after this vital save, Dorukhan Toköz brought back the lead to Trabzonspor, while Haji Wright in the 80th minute equalized the score again.
Trabzonspor fans mistakenly flooded the pitch to celebrate the triumph minutes before the end of the match, but they were taken out for the game to be completed. With the final whistle, huge celebrations again erupted amongst the thousands of home fans inside and outside the stadium, in addition to various cities in Turkey including Istanbul.
The draw against Antalyaspor left Trabzonspor nine points clear of second-placed Fenerbahçe with three weeks left until the end of the season, and the Maroon Blues have a better head-to-head record than their nearest rival.
The title also marked a first for Abdullah Avcı, who is regarded among the most successful Turkish coaches in recent years. Signing with Trabzonspor in Nov. 2020, Avcı steered the team to the top of the Turkish league in just over a year.
Avcı also resumed the tradition for Trabzonspor to clinch its titles under Turkish coaches, becoming the third coach to do so after club legends Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı and Özkan Sümer. Unlike Özyazıcı and Sümer, however, Avcı was the first coach born and raised outside of Trabzon.
It was also the 15th consecutive season that a Turkish coach was training the champion team.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and many other politicians and celebrities took to Twitter to congratulate the club and its fans.
Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş – the Istanbul clubs known as the “Big Three” of Turkish football – have dominated domestically for decades, collectively winning 57 of the 65 Süper Lig titles on offer over the years.
Trabzonspor was the first club to break the three big Istanbul clubs’ monopoly in winning the Turkish league when they claimed the trophy in the 1975-1976 season.
That started a period of dominance and they won five consecutive titles, before adding another in 1983-1984, earning the nickname “The Black Sea Storm.”
“The last title was won long before I was born,” said 22-year-old central midfielder Abdülkadir Ömür. “It was a life-long dream. I couldn’t be more proud.”
The club have come close to winning the title again on several occasions, most notably in the 2010-2011 season, when Fenerbahçe was declared champion over goal differences in a season marred by match-fixing allegations.
