Nigerian midfielder Ibrahim Olawoyin posted a man of the match performance to lead his Turkish Super Lig side Çaykur Rizespor to a 3-2 win over Adana Demirspor on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Olawoyin, 27, scored a first half goal and provided an assist in the second half to guide Rizespor to their first home win in the league in eight weeks, coming against an Adana DS side battling a seemingly impossible fight against relegation.
Former Rangers International star Olawoyin was returning to the starting lineup after recovering from an injury he suffered against Besiktas on January 3. Although he made a substitute appearance on his return last week against Istanbul Başaksehir, Rizespor coach Ilhan Palut gladly restored his Nigerian jewel to the starting lineup on Sunday.
Olawoyin repaid the faith of his coach when he scored the game’s opener in the 30th minute. Rizespor captain Casper Hojer – starting his first league game in four months – found Olawoyin with a square pass with about 25 metres to goal and the Nigerian drove beyond his markers before rifling home from 18 yards.
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Rizespor then doubled their advantage two minutes after the break through Gambian striker Ali Sowe – who had had a goal disallowed controversially by the VAR before Olawoyin’s goal in the first half. Sowe latched onto an incisive through ball by the Rizespor Number 10 before rounding the goalkeeper and sliding home. The goal ended Sowe’s run of six games without a goal.
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The game then took a back-and-forth turn from then on. First, Bunyamin Balat halved the deficit for Adana DS five minutes after Sowe’s goal but Algerian winger Rachid Ghezzal made it 3-1 for Rizespor from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after another Nigerian David Akintola was felled inside the box.
Angolan midfielder Antonio Muanza aka Maestro then hit home a scorching strike for Adana DS seven minutes from time but it was too little too late for the basement side. In fact, Rizespor still had the luxury of a missed penalty late in the game when Czechia striker Václav Jureçka saw his spot kick saved by Adana goalkeeper Eren Donmezer.
The win lifted Rizespor to 8th position on the log ahead of a very awkward trip to title chasing Fenerbahçe next weekend.
