Sunday, April 09, 2023

ANKARAGUCU SECURE THREE CRUCIAL POINTS !!!




 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Towards the end of the match, and especially in time added on, Ankaragucu was hanging on to their lead as Istanbulspor pressed forward looking for the equaliser, which at times looked likely to come.

 

However, let’s not detract from the result which will go and long way to calm frayed nerve ends   !!       Ankaragucu is not out of the ‘danger area’ in the league yet, but hope is still alive and well   !

 

I don’t like to criticise players who obviously don’t try to be ineffective, but I have to say that Tasos’s days at the Club are surely numbered.    Milson must play up front in support of Ali  !!

 

Diack had another excellent match and seems to be growing into a commanding figure in the midfield ............and attack   !!

 

Not a full house as one could have reasonably expected for a Saturday afternoon, but noisy and in full voice as usual.    I had to smirk when I looked at the ‘away end’ and spotted TWO lonely souls   !!

 

ANKARAGUCU             3                             Istanbulspor             2

 

Team – Gokhan, Firatcan, Radakovic, Mujakic, Matej, Diack, Taylan, Tasos, emre, Zahid and Ali Sowe

 

Substitutes – Milson, Atakan, Andrej and Kitsiou

 

With the match swinging from end to end for the first 9 minutes, it suddenly took an unusual twist and a piece of quick thinking by Ali to make a statement of intent.     A routine looking back pass was made to the Istanbulspor goalkeeper who looked like he was out for an afternoon stroll in the park by surveying all around him.     However, he underestimated the speed of Ali bearing down on him and in his panic to clear the ball it rebounded off Ali and into the back of the net.   As our Honourary Kanka, Murat Kaya, said to me .........  ‘a lovely present from the goalkeeper to Ankaragucu’   !!!

 

10 minutes later and Gokhan saved a certain equaliser when he pushed the shot around the post for a corner.

 

Approaching the half hour mark and Ali again figured in the 2nd goal.      He did all the hard work in an attack down the left and eventually the ball was deflected into the path of Diack on the right just inside the box who sent a first time shot inside the left post.

 

With Ankaragucu attacking the Gecikondu end in the 2nd half, any thoughts that this was going to be an easy victory for Ankaragucu disappeared just one minute into the 2nd half when and defending by Ankaragucu in a goalmouth melee allowing Sen to apply a final touch to give Ankaragucu a wake-up call   !

 

Ankaragucu had a great chance to restore the two goal cushion 3 minutes later when Zahid and Ali combined well to set-up Taylan with a chance in the box, but he dithered over the ball and the chance was lost when he was dispossessed.

 

The goal did come 3 minutes later and it was that man Ali again who is fast becoming a master of the angled shot.      Good work by Milson on the right and his pass was met by Ali on the right just inside the box.    He sent his fierce angled shot inside the left post for Goal of the Match.

 

That’s it we thought, but ............aaargh ................. 2 minutes later and Istanbulspor snatched an unlikely 2nd goal.     The Ankaragucu defence must accept responsibility again for this.    A poor headed clearance from inside the box was sent direct to Lokilo lurking unmarked just outside the box and he sent a harmless looking shot at goal which crept inside the left post.    Gokhan, on reflection, will surely ask himself why he didn’t react quicker to save this effort   !!!

 

Into the final stages of the match and Istanbulspor started to look like snatching the equaliser with the Ankaragucu defence all over the place and looking disorganised.    They almost found it on two occasions before the final whistle.     Firstly, Gokhan made a great save from a goal bound shot and then another melee in the box with the ball bobbing around was eventually cleared in a panic situation   !

 

12 minutes of time added on made for a tense run-in to the final whistle with Ankaragucu guilty of time wasting   !!       Sighs of relief all round when the referee blew for time ................ nail biting stuff which is not recommended viewing for those with a weak heart   !!

 

So, looking to the future, and as we all know, and has been said here many times....... there are no ‘easy’ matches in this league, and next Saturday certainly fails into that category.

 

Ankaragucu travel to take on a strong Fenerbahce team who are in the Semi Final of The Turkish Cup and challenging Galatasaray at the top of the league.    So, obviously Ankaragucu will need to improve on yesterday’s performance, especially in defence where they looked so vulnerable in the 2nd half.

 

It’s a big ask for the team to go there a return with at least a point, but as they have shown from time to time this season, they have it in them to do it   !!

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

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