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Göztepe defeated Arca Çorum FK 2-0 at the İsonem Park Gürsel Aksel Stadium in week nine of the Trendyol Süper Lig, scoring both goals in the first half through Antunes and Juan.
Antunes opened the scoring in the third minute after pressing goalkeeper Felipe and Juan doubled the lead in the 38th minute, while Arca Çorum FC created several chances after the break without finding the net.
Early pressure pays off
Göztepe took the lead in the third minute. Antunes closed down goalkeeper Felipe, won the ball and turned it into the net to make it 1-0.
The home side went close again in the 29th minute. Juan carried the ball down the left and into the penalty area before cutting it back to Henrique on the six-yard box, whose close-range effort was held by Felipe.
Göztepe made it 2-0 in the 38th minute. Antunes won possession in front of the box, advanced into the area and laid the ball off to Juan, whose low shot beat Felipe.
Anjorin almost added a third in the 41st minute, dribbling into the penalty area before Felipe pushed his shot away. The first half ended with Göztepe leading 2-0.
Second-half chances go begging
Arca Çorum FC came close in the 53rd minute. Cengiz Ünder crossed from the right to Mahmic, who met the ball on the six-yard box but sent his shot over the bar.
In the 89th minute, Moukoko collected the ball in the area after a free kick, beat a defender and shot toward goal, only for goalkeeper Arda Özçimen to turn it around the post.
Göztepe closed out the match with the 2-0 scoreline intact.
Yılmaz blames individual errors
Arca Çorum FC head coach Burak Yılmaz said at the post-match news conference that the team had prepared well and had tried to match Göztepe's physical play. Yılmaz said individual mistakes had cost the side two goals.
"We know Göztepe's game. They may look like a team that is easy to analyse, but they have been playing this way for about three or four years and cause problems for every team. I congratulate them," Yılmaz said. "We are a technical team. While we think more about the technical and tactical side, football has this side to it too. Physicality, duels. Whoever wins more duels stays in the game and takes confidence from it. That is the kind of match it was. My players made individual mistakes, God bless them. We will lift our heads and look to the Erzurum match."
Yılmaz said the match had been lost before the break. "Actually we lost the match in the first half. I thank my players for their reaction in the second half. As you can see, we had about three or four clear chances. It did not happen, that is the beauty of football. Göztepe, even though they are a team that is easy to analyse, definitely have very strong points. I congratulate them."
Stoilov praises the start, warns substitutes
Göztepe head coach Stanimir Stoilov said the pressing applied up front had produced two goals. "That is always what we want and what we work on," said the Bulgarian coach, who described the result as an important win.
Stoilov said the team had started the match the way it wanted, pressing, aggressive and dynamic. "With the pressing we did, we scored two goals, and that is always what we want and work on. For us it was really valuable, and I can say it was maybe our best start to a match this season. At the same time, in the second half we gave the opponent a bit of initiative, but we also had chances to score the third or fourth goal. Normally in matches of this difficulty, when you get those chances you absolutely have to take them. We can say it is a must. But at the same time, taking three wins in a row is definitely not easy. We are very happy to have lived that. We have to keep our feet on the ground. We must look forward, continue working with the same focus and keep looking for how we can progress."
Stoilov said the supporters' backing matters, both in good times and in bad. He added that failing to score a third goal had created some tension in the team. "One thing I will talk about with my players in our meeting this week is that the players who come on must definitely enter much more determined and much hungrier, and they have to raise the tempo. If they do not, they will stay on the bench in the next match, they will not come on, and if they go on like this they will take their place in the stands next to the fans. My players, no matter how many minutes they play for Göztepe, must if necessary die on the pitch and do whatever is required. That is the most important point for me. I am not satisfied with the dynamism of the players I brought on today."
Key takeaways
- Göztepe beat Arca Çorum FK 2-0 at home in week nine of the Trendyol Süper Lig.
- Antunes opened the scoring in the third minute after pressing goalkeeper Felipe and set up Juan for the second in the 38th minute.
- Arca Çorum FC head coach Burak Yılmaz said individual errors decided the match and pointed to the Erzurum fixture next.
- Göztepe head coach Stanimir Stoilov called it perhaps the team's best start to a match this season and criticised the dynamism of his substitutes.
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