Players gave carnations to riot police officers before the start of the match to mourn the victims of bomb blasts in the Besiktas district of Istanbul near the Vodafone Arena football stadium that martyred 38 people and injured 155 others.
A minute of silence was also observed before the kick off. Once the match was underway, Galatasaray quickly found the back of the net as Turkish winger Yasin Oztekin converted Armindo Bruma's assist in the 12th minute.
Oztekin immediately rushed to officers on the sidelines and gave them a hug that was cheered by spectators in the stadium. In the second half, Oztekin scored another goal at 66th minute, giving Galatasaray a 2-0 cushion.
Gaziantepspor, however, would not go down easily as defender Elyasa Sume scored with a header off a corner kick, pulling the margin to one. But just six minutes later, Gaziantepspor's Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Fatau was sent off following a second yellow card.
Galatasaray sealed the deal in the 90th minute when Oztekin finished Wesley Sneijder's shot that deflected off the crossbar, completing the hat-trick. The win gives Galatasaray 29 points and secured its third place spot after match week 14. The week ends with Antalyaspor taking on Fenerbahce on Monday night in Antalya.