By Richard Beale ……
Esentepe’s plan to escape relegation via the “Play Offs” was dealt a momentous blow on Sunday when they collapsed against a rampant Merit Alsancak Yeşilova team.
Result : ESENTEPE KKSK 1 MERIT ALSANCAK YEŞILOVA SK 6
Sunday April 7, 2019 : K-Pet Super League : Esentepe Erdal Barut Stadium
After two good results, Esentepe’s climb up the table hit a brick wall erected by a formidable Merit Alsancak Yeşilova team. A score of 1-6 it was a hammering, a rout, no getting away from it, not only was it Esentepe’s worst performance of the season, it was probably their worst performance for many a long time. I have been following them for at least 10 years I cannot recall such a humiliating defeat.
Poor as Esentepe were let’s take nothing away from a slick Alsancak team, which was a completely different outfit from the one that luckily beat Esentepe 2-1 last November.
Under their “new” Coach Toygar Davulcu, they have not been defeated in 9 matches (winning 7, drawing 2) and it showed in the way they played. 4th in the table full of confidence, playing one two’s, players running into space knowing when and where the ball would arrive. Alsancak are a big rich powerful club they have the resources that Esentepe can only dream about. The only way Esentepe can compete with teams like these is to raise their game, chase, harry the opposition into making mistakes, this obviously didn’t happen they weren’t allowed to by the visitors. Alsancak had done their homework on Esentepe probably had watched them in the last few matches, they even had a “drone” in the air filming this match.
In the Alsancak line up were two Ex Esentepe favourites ILYAS NIYAZI and goalkeeper KEMAL MOLLA.
Ex St Mirren and Dunfermline striker BILLY MEHMET (black strip) on the attack and right ESIN SONAY about to score Merit Alsancak second goal.
Shame Esentepe played so poorly, on a sultry afternoon there was quite a large crowd, which included a few ex-pats. It’s hard to persuade ex-pats at the best of times to come and support Esentepe, I fear after this performance they won’t be returning for quite a while.
Alsancak dominated the opening exchanges and should have been in front earlier than they did when they scored their first goal in the 11th minute through MUSTAFA SALK.
Esentepe rallied and equalised in the 23rd minute and equalised through that man JUNIOR MFEDE fastening onto a long ball from Vurkan he beat Kemal with an angled shot, scoring his 8th goal in 9 matches.
Alsancak regained the lead right on the half time whistle. When a long ball through the middle found ESIN SONAY who cleverly lobbed Onur as he came out. HALF TIME SCORE : 1-2
Alsancak Coach was probably not happy with his team’s first half performance as he made 2 substitutions during the interval.
The second half remained competitive up to the 60th minute, after that Alsancak went on the rampage scoring 4 goals in 15 minutes. All of these goals were almost identical, a long ball or clearance always found an Alsancak player free on either of the flanks. He would then carry on at speed past a non existent Esentepe defence, either score himself or pass to a team mate to score. It was embarrassing, poor young Onur in the Esentepe goal was left hopelessly exposed with no protection, he could not be blamed for any of Alsancak’s goals.
For the record Alsancak scorers were BURAK KOÇAR (61 and 73), ESIN SONAY (66), and HAMIS ÇAKIR (76).
Merit Alsancak (black strip) continue to attack.
Mercifully Alsancak eased off the pedal and the remainder of the game was played out like a friendly or training match, no side was in any hurry to exert themselves further. By this time most of the Esentepe supporters had left, streaming out of the Stadium.
I was more disappointed with Esentepe in those remaining minutes yes 1-6 the game was lost, a minus -5 on their goal difference which at the end of the season could be important. It would have been nice to see them rally in the closing minutes making it 2-6 or 3-6 to help with their goal difference, maybe that is the English way, not the Cypriot way. FULL TIME SCORE : 1-6.
SUMMING UP : The Escape tunnel has collapsed we must shore it up again. What more can you say, the game’s gone, finished, to be forgotten. The team must “dust themselves down” regroup and focus on the next game. 5 matches left 15 points left to play for. Starting next Saturday April 13 : kick off 3-30pm : Lefkoşa Atatürk Stadium.
ÇETINKAYA v ESENTEPE.
