By Richard Beale….
The only rain that fell on the Cihangir Stadium was not the wet variety but goals, goals, and more goals in a crazy match that Esentepe forward DENİZ KİBAR scored 5 of Esentepe’s goals.
Results: CİHANGİR GSK 4 ESENTEPE KKSK 6 (Friendly Match)
Saturday 16th January: Cihangir Stadium.
On a bitterly cold but thankfully dry afternoon a disappointing crowd of around 25, all must be die-hards witness this crazy game that works out to be a goal every 10 minutes !.
Thankfully being 10 goals in the match (4 that were penalties), I have forgotten the build up’s to the goals so I will just waffle on a bit and list the goalscorers.
High 5’s DENİZ KİBAR scorer of 5 of Esentepe goals, right his first of 3 penalties.
Esentepe forward DENİZ KIBAR helped himself to 5 goals, including a hat trick of penalties, which I have never seen a player achieve that feat before. Deniz could have scored 7 goals in truth, but I am pleased for him he was a thorn in the Cihangir defence all match. After nearly 3 years without playing football, Deniz rejoined Esentepe at the start of the season and it’s been a long hard slog back for him to regain full fitness and sharpness. He is a dangerous goal-scoring forward when he is fit and focused and should score lots of goals hopefully for Esentepe in the second part of the season.
Both Coaches would certainly not be happy with their respective defences, Cihangir’s defence was caught out time and time again by the long ball, and Esentepe defenders again were slow on the turn or to react to situations. Fairness to both clubs they were missing key defenders due to Covid.
Esentepe scored intermediately from the kick off, which was a taste of things to come, HÜSEYIN DEYNEKLİ benefitting on a horrendous pass out by goalkeeper Mehmet.
Cihangir who are a Super League Club soon settled from that shock and started spraying the ball around beautifully, Esentepe were at full throttle to try and keep them in check. They soon equalised from the penalty spot and went into the break 3-2 up. Their leading goalscorer and also the Super League’s leading goalscorer SIBONISO LUNGELO MISHALI looked like a class act, with Barkin and Hakan having the better of the midfield tussle. For Esentepe Emre Mutlu was working very hard and putting himself about in midfield as well.
The second half was really the Deniz Kibar show timing his runs well, beating the offside trap, Cihangir defence resulted in bringing him down illegally outside or inside the box. Whereas Cihangir were playing pretty, pleasing football, Esentepe tactics of using the long ball to Deniz, Hüseyin Deynekli and Ege Can, using their speed paid off in this match.
There could have been many more goals for both teams but poor finishing and good saves by the goalkeepers kept the score to 10 goals in the match, that was enough !.
Again a useful workout for the players and of course a very entertaining match for the meagre crowd.
CİHANGİR ; MUSA ŞANILER (pen) , SIBONISO LUNGELO (38,65), HAKAN KARACAOĞLU (43)
ESENTEPE : HÜSEYIN DEYNEKLİ (1), DENİZ KIBAR ( pen, 49 pen, 63 pen, 83, 85).
