Trabzonspor’s Afobe spares Ekuban’s blushes against 10-man Antalyaspor

Trabzonspor continued with their unbeaten away run in Turkey’s Super Lig as Benik Afobe helped them secure a 1-1 draw against Antalyaspor on Saturday evening.

The Black Sea Storm who have won their last two games came to the Antalya Arena with the ambition of continuing their winning streak which would brighten their title ambitions.

Nevertheless, they were only able to pick up a point against Ersun Yanal’s men who were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Ersan Adem Gulum.

In a cagey first-half, the visitors were presented with the opportunity of taking the lead after they were gifted a penalty following a foul by Gulum in the goal area. Caleb Ekuban took the ensuing kick, nevertheless, he failed to beat goalkeeper Ruud Boffin.

Antalyaspor took the lead in the 25th minutes as Brazil's Amilton profited from a cross from Angolan midfielder Fredy to head past goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.

Eight minutes after their lead, they suffered a minor setback as Gulum was given his marching orders by referee Erkan Ozdamar following a second caution. Even at that, they held their nerves to go into the half-time break with a slim one goal advantage.

The second-half produced a lot of spark as Trabzonspor stepped up their game in search of an equaliser, but their attempts met strong resistance from the hosts’ backline.

Manager Abdullah Avci brought in Afobe for Lewis Baker with 20 minutes left to play. In the fifth minute of extra time, the on-loan Stoke City star levelled matters after heading home a cross from Nigeria international Anthony Nwakaeme.

Thanks to that strike, the 27-year-old now boasts four goals in the ongoing 2020-21 campaign.

While Nwakaeme and Ekuban were in action from start to finish alongside Cape Verde international Djaniny, Mali international Fousseni Diabate was an unused substitute.

For the hosts, Angola’s Fredy was replaced for Adis Jahovic in the 83rd minute, whereas Cote d’Ivoire forward Jean-Armel Drole was not listed for the encounter.

Thanks to the result, Trabzonspor maintained their eighth position in the Super Lig log having accrued 27 points from 18 games, while the Scorpions are ninth after garnering 25 points with one game more.