ANKARAGUCU SEE RED AND THEN LOSE THE PLOT !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

It was a great start by Ankaragucu racing into a 2 goal lead before the calamity kicked-in.

 

Club captain Alper must shoulder most of the blame after a needless yellow card when he pulled back an attacker in full flight.    Then just before half time he was adjudged to have put his hand into the face of a Rize player when they were challenging for the ball.    Sheer stupidity on his part and in the process he left his team facing the 2^nd half with 10 men   !

 

To concede 2 penalties was also unforgivable and Rize proceeded to take charge of the match and punished Ankaragucu’s profligacy  !

  Rizespor        5                       ANKARAGUCU       3

 

Team – Ricardo, Kitsiou, Pazdan, Erdi, Pinto, Voca, Saba, Sahverdi, Alper, Paintsil and Borven

 

Substitutes – Endri, Emre and Adzic

 

The match was only 5 minutes old when Ankaragucu broke on the right and Kitsiou crossed to Paintsil at the near post who shot into the right hand corner of the goal with the goalkeeper static.

 

10 minutes later it was 2-0 after a comedy of errors in the Rize defence.   Ankaragucu was awarded a free kick in their own half which was quickly taken and the break was on.    A shot on goal was made but saved by the goalkeeper who played it out quickly to a defender.    But, the ball had a ricochet off the defender and over the goalkeeper’s head.    Paintsil was quickest to react and he chased the ball and headed into the empty goal with the goalkeeper stranded.

 

It only took Rize a further 3 minutes to haul themselves back into the match and it was an excellent goal.   Santos received the ball on the left inside the box.    He weaved past 2 challenges and sent in an unstoppable shot to the top right.

 

The equaliser almost came after 27 minutes when Ricardo gave us another ‘scary moment’.   He received a back pass from Pazdan and pushed the ball too far forward with his foot.    The inrushing Rize attacker almost had a easy goal but Ricardo recovered just in time to smother the ball.

 

2 minutes later it was a let-off when Rize scored an ‘offside goal’ from a free kick, but the linesman correctly had his flag up for offside.

 

Paintsil almost made it three 10 minutes before the break but his goal bound shot was deflected out for a corner.

 

However, the third goal did come 6 minutes later when there was a fast break down the left by Pinto.   His cross was inch perfect for Borven to glance in a header inside the right post.

 

Then right on the 45 minute mark Rize scored their 2^nd goal and I have to say that I’m disappointed that Ricardo didn’t save it.    The free kick was about 30 yards out on the right side of the box.    He had set up his wall but Boldrin’s free kick bypassed the wall and went in just inside the right post.    I think Ricardo may have managed to get a touch on the ball but, as I said, disappointed he didn’t reach it in time.

 

3-2 up and the whistle about to blow for half time and Alper was shown a 2^nd yellow and RED.    He jumped for the ball alongside a Rize player and the referee had no hesitation in showing the cards.    The replay showed that Alper’s hand went into the Rize player’s face, but it certainly didn’t look intentional.    However, the referee obviously thought otherwise and off went Alper  !

 

There was only 4 minutes played in the 2^nd half when the match started to drift away from Ankaragucu.    A cross came in from the right and Kitsiou attempted to head the ball for a corner with a Rize attacker in close attendance.    However, he misjudged the flight of the ball which struck his arm on the way out.    Frantic calls from the Rize players for a penalty which the referee finally agreed to check VAR after consultation on his mouthpiece.  

 

The new rule on hand-ball doesn’t give the referee any room for using his initiative, so a penalty it was which Remy despatched with a cheeky chip to the centre with Ricardo diving to the right.    However, the referee had further instructions on his earpiece and signalled the penalty to be re-taken due to Rize players encroaching before the kick had been taken.

 

Remy again took the kick and sent it into the left just out of Ricardo’s reach.

 

5 minutes later and another catastrophe   !!     Sahverdi had a kick at a Rize player and brought him down in the box.     Up stepped Remy again and he sent his kick into the same left corner with Ricardo diving to the right.

 

Ankaragucu had 2 chances to claw their way back into the match, but Voca sent a tame shot past the right post when put through, and then Emre shot past the left post.

 

15 minutes to go and Rize put the match beyond Ankaragucu with that man Remy doing the damage again.      A Rize breakaway on the right and the cross was sent into Remy who held off two challenges before firing in a great shot to his favourite place just inside the left post.

 

4 minutes to go and Rize was stroking the ball around and keeping possession (they had 68%) but they almost added to their goal tally but Erdi cleared a goal bound shot off the line.    Then, in the 94^th minute Ricardo pulled of a great save to deny Rize.

 

Ankaragucu stay bottom of the league with only one point, but all is not lost yet.   They have a great opportunity to record their first win of the season at home next Saturday to league newcomers Hatay.

 

Bring it on and let’s put today’s match onto the back burner and into the ‘let’s forget category’  !!

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim