Joseph Paintsil sent off as Hatayspor beat Ankaragucu

Babajide Akintola and Mame Diouf bagged a brace each while Joseph Paintsil was sent off as Hatayspor decimated Ankaragucu 4-1 in Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig game.

Nigerian forward Akintola was afforded his 22nd league appearance since teaming up with the Star of the South in the summer on a season-long loan from Midtjylland.

The forward delivered a spectacular performance in the encounter, scoring twice to increase his tally and help his side secure an effortless win.

Diouf, who is also enjoying his debut season with the Star of the South, played a key role in Hatayspor’s victory with his sparkling performance in front of goal in the outing.

Ghana international Paintsil had a game to forget in a hurry, as he was shown a straight red card at Hatay Ataturk Stadi.

Ankaragucu hit the ground running, opening the scoring in the 16th minute through Torgeir Boerven after he was set up by Saba Lobzhanidze.

Diouf then ignited his side’s comeback with a fine effort to level proceedings for Hatayspor after receiving an assist from Selim Ilgaz.

Paintsil was then sent off by referee Atilla Karaoglan a few minutes before the end of the first-half for serious foul play.

After the restart, Omer Erdogan’s men continued their domination with Diouf completing his brace in the 55th minute from the penalty spot.

Akintola then scored a penalty to further increase his side’s lead in the 65th minute and got his second in the 74th minute after he was set up by Alexandros Katranis to seal the victory for the Hatay Ataturk Stadi outfit.

The Nigerian forward and Diouf featured for the duration of the game to help Hatayspor climb to the fifth spot on the Super Lig table after gathering 45 points from 26 games.

Akintola has now scored seven goals in 24 appearances across all competitions while Diouf has found the back of the net 10 times and provided five assists this season.

Akintola and Diouf will hope to continue their impressive performances for the Star of the South in their next league game against Sivasspor on March 3.