Greetings Kankas
and Kankies.
We could have
been forgiven for throwing our hands up in despair at the end of the 1st
half after a poor showing by Ankaragucu last night going in 2-0 down.
However, as we
have witnessed in recent weeks, this Ankaragucu team is not for throwing the
towel in, and they came storming back in the 2nd half to claim a
well deserved and crucial point in their efforts to stay above the relegation
zone.
Granted that there
was an element of good fortune which brought Ankaragucu’s first goal, but the
introduction of Tasos for the ineffective Renaldo was also a turning point in
the attack. I should also point to the
introduction Pedrinho and Rodrigues as contributing to Ankaragucu’s much
improved performance in the 2nd half.
This result has
made a significant step forward and gives the team confidence and impetus in
their last 4 league matches to move even further away from the relegation
dog-fight !!
Rizespor 2 ANKARAGUCU 2
Team – Bahadir,
Atakan, Mert, Radakovic, Kitsiou, Tolga, Bassogog, Efkan, Alexis, Renaldo and
Ali Sowe
Substitutes –
Tasos, Bajic, Pedrinho and Rodrigues
The alarm bells
were ringing as early as the 5th minute when Bahadir was called into
action to save a goal bound shot as Rize looked for the early goal.
Unsurprisingly
it came in the 25th minute when the unmarked Gaich was allowed a
free glancing header inside the 6 yard box from a cross.
Rize was rampant
at this stage and went further ahead 7 minutes later. A free kick on the right was sent into the
box and Olawoyin was first to it to slide the ball inside the right post when
he nipped in ahead of Atakan.
A few choice
words were obviously used by Coach Emre at the break when Ankaragucu resumed
the match with more purpose and it took only 10 minutes for the breakthrough to
arrive.
It was a
fortuitous goal when the Rize goalkeeper fumbled his save from a glancing header
by Bajic. This was the wake-up call
and it was heeded by Ankaragucu as they continued to attack in search of the
equaliser.
It almost
arrived 3 minutes later when Tasos was unlucky to see his long range shot hit
the bar.
It was constant
pressure from Ankaragucu from this point and with 10 minutes to go the Rize
goalkeeper made a crucial save to deny the equaliser.
However, it did
come well into time-added-on when Ankaragucu was awarded a corner on the
left. It was sent into the box and
Bahadir (who had joined the attack) was first to the ball and sent his glancing
header to Rodrigues who reacted quickest to flick the ball in for an amazing
equaliser.
A just reward
for a truly magnificent 2nd half fight-back !!
After winning a
point from the jaws of defeat, the scene is now set for Ankaragucu’s next home
match on Friday against mid-table Alanyaspor.
Also, a Cup
Final place is still within reach, but 100% focus must be in preparation for
their league matches and gaining 3 valuable points from them.
Coach Emre must
ensure that last night’s 2nd half performance is repeated for 90
plus minutes in the remaining matches this season !!
As always, watch
this space for the outcome.
All the best
from Eski Kanka Jim
Fuck Rize ! Well done Ankaragücü
ReplyDeleteAnkaragücü was super second half
ReplyDelete