Ghana defender John Boye the hero in Turkish Super Lig relegation six-pointer
Ghana defender John Boye delivered an outstanding display as Erciyesspor drew away in the Turkish top flight over the weekend.
Boye delivered an outstanding performance as Kayseri Erciyesspor rescued a late point against Balikesirspor in the Super Lig.
The Ghana international’s side headed into this match on a dreadful run of form. Before this weekend they had suffered a run of six straight defeats.
Their disastrous spell has plunged the Blue Dragons into the midst of a relegation battle.
Away at Balikesirspor on Sunday, it was imperative that they stopped the rot—not simply because of the need for points, but because their opponents—sitting at the foot of the table—represented their best opportunity of getting their campaign back on track.
The contest started disastrously for Boye and his teammates at the Bal?kesir Ataturk Stadium, when Sercan Yildirim gave the home side the lead on eight minutes.
Balikesirspor controlled much of the contest after that, and would surely have added to their tally were it not for the wonderful, disciplined defending of Boye—who played in the heart of the defence in the visitors’ 4-2-3-1 formation.
The former Stade Rennais man made three tackles, five interceptions and six clearances, according to WhoScored, more than any of his teammates.
Erciyesspor steadily grew into the contest, but it wasn’t until the 80th minute when they scored the equaliser.
Cameroon forward Jacques Zoua, who entered as a 54th-minute substitute, replacing Ogulcan Caglayan, found the net with only ten minutes remaining, beating Emrullah Salk after Bjorn Vleminckx’s effort had rattled the woodwork.
Balikesirspor, sensing the desperation of their plight, surged forward, and thought they’d scored a winner in the final minute, only for Boye to clear the ball off the line.
Their brave display doesn’t lift the Ghanaian’s side out of the drop zone, and indeed, they remain in grave peril near the foot of the Super Lig table.
After 28 matches—with only six more to play—Erciyesspor sit on 21 points, seven behind Rizespor in 15th position. While avoiding defeat will have done wonders for their morale, they must begin picking up victories as soon as possible.
Source: Goal.com
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