Greetings Kankas
and Kankies.
Ankaragucu
spurned a golden opportunity in Bornova last night to cement their place at the
top of the league. However, they
remain 2nd top ............ for now ....... but the chasing pack
took closer order to the top 3.
With Umraniye
and Eyupspor both losing over the weekend, this was a chance for Ankaragucu to
make a statement of intent after last week’s dismal performance in Adana. Therefore, Ankaragucu must now look over
their shoulder and perhaps see Erzurum and Bandirma overtaking them before Ankaragucu play their
next match.
Bandirma is only
2 points behind the top 3 with a game in hand, and Erzurum is also only 2
points behind with 2 games in hand
! Therefore, the significance
of last night’s abomination is clear for all to see. The pressure mounts !!!
Altinordu 2 ANKARAGUCU 1
Team – Akin,
Erdem, Yusuf, Sinan, Pinto, Zahid, Ishak, Ali Kaan, Murat, Ariyibi and Eren
Substitutes –
Geraldo, Aatif and Abdullah
Battle Damaged
Kanka Damon and I settled down to watch the match in the Bira Park Bar full of
confidence. Hmmmmm, when will we
learn to control our emotions ??!!
There were two
narrow escapes for Altinordu in the first 15 minutes. Great play by Ariyibi on the left when he
avoided several tackles and worked himself into the box. His shot was destined for just inside the
left post, but the goalkeeper blocked the shot with his knees ! Then following a corner on the left,
Ankaragucu had the ball in the net, but Eren had impeded the goalkeeper and the
foul was quite rightly given !
For the
remainder of the 1st half, Ankaragucu seemed to take their foot off
the pedal and allowed Altinordu into the match. They had 3 opportunities with shots
whizzing past the post, across the goalmouth with no takers, and Akin making a crucial
save.
The 2nd
half was only 2 minutes old when Ankaragucu decided to shoot themselves in the
foot !!
An Altinordu attacker received a pass just outside the box on the left
and took the ball into the penalty area only to be foolishly impeded with a
body check by an Ankaragucu defender when there appeared no apparent immediate danger.
The penalty was
clinically despatched by Ahmet with a shot down the centre with Akin diving to
his left.
Ankaragucu’s
response was to attack and 4 minutes later they almost found the equaliser
after nice play by Ariyibi on the right.
He took the ball to the goal line and cut the ball back for the
inrushing Murat, but the ball was played slightly behind Murat and his shot was
skied over the bar.
However, the
equaliser came 5 minutes later and was definitely goal of the match. A sublime pass from Zahid to Ali Kaan gave
him the opportunity to shoot on the right of the goals to inside the left post
for an excellent goal.
The 2nd
goal almost arrived 4 minutes later but a volleyed effort just inside the box
hit the post and was cleared by the Altinordu defence.
We were still
confident that Ankaragucu would find the winner until Ahmet struck again in the
66th minute to put the match to bed. A fast Altinordu break on the right caught
the Ankaragucu defence out of position.
Ahmet latched onto the ball and managed to squeeze a shot in between
Akin and a defender who collided with each other in a defensive mix-up.
Ankaragucu lost
the plot from this point as Altinordu gradually took control of the match again
and ran the clock down.
If I have to
point the finger, it will be at Mustafa Bey
!!! I am mystified why he
decided to take Ariyibi and Zahid off in the 2nd half who were always likely to score or create
something. The least said about
Geraldo coming on ........... the better
!!!
I’m tempted to
say ............... Ankaragucu will be favourites to win their next match
against bottom team Balikesirspor at home next Monday night, BUT ................
I won’t !!! What I will say is ............... this
is definitely a MUST WIN match to stay in touch with the leading pack.
All the best
from Eski Kanka Jim
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