In the 23rd round of the Turkish Super League, Istanbul Bashakshehir, where our compatriots Eldor Shomurodov and Abbosbek Fayzullayev are competing, played away against Alanyaspor. Having suffered a painful defeat at home against Beşiktaş in the previous round, the Istanbul team took to the field this time in a completely different mood: the team proved its superiority over their opponents in every aspect throughout the game.
Basaksehir's German legionnaire, Devi Zelke, opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Before the hosts could recover, the visitors launched several more dangerous attacks. Near the end of the first half, the stage was handed over entirely to the Uzbek duo.
In the 42nd minute, Abbosbek Fayzullayev was roughly stopped by the opponent's defenders inside the penalty area. The referee didn't hesitate for a moment - penalty! At the 11-meter mark, Eldor Shomurodov delivered a cold shot and increased the lead. Thus, Bashakshehir advanced to the half-time with a two-goal advantage.
In the second half, Alanyaspor didn't give up. Florent Hadergyonay's accurate shot earned them one return goal. After that, the match became even more heated: "Alanyaspor" increased pressure, while "Bashakshehir," while maintaining the score, again searched for goals in counterattacks. Eldor Shomurodov and Abbosbek Fayzullayev remained on the field until the middle of the second half of the game, then were substituted. There were opportunities to change the score during this time as well, but the ball couldn't shake the net.
After a difficult but costly victory, Istanbul Bashakshehir reached 36 points and secured a strong 6th place in the league table.
Having scored in this match, Shomurodov celebrated his 16th goal in the championship. The most interesting point is that he caught up with Trabzonspor forward Paul Onuachu, who had surpassed him in the top scorer race. As the season intensifies, the fight for the "Golden Boot" in the Turkish championship is also intensifying.
Looking at the current situation, it seems that the leadership is mainly between Shomurodov and Onuachu. But the pursuers also "awakened." For example, Galatasaray star Mauro Icardi scored four goals in the last three matches, bringing his goal tally to 13. Fenerbahçe's Anderson Talisca has also scored doubles in the last two games, securing a 13-goal finish. Now that their teams have played matches in the 23rd round, the scoring table could shift again - the intrigue is here.
Another noteworthy aspect: Eldor Shomurodov scored goals for almost all 17 rival teams in the Turkish Super League. The 30-year-old Uzbek forward has scored for 14 teams: Beşiktaş, Alanyaspor, Konyaspor, Galatasaray, Antalyaspor, Kojaelispor, Gençlerbirliği, Trabzonspor, Kasımpasha, Samsunspor, Gaziantep, Fatih Karagyumryuk, Rizespor, and Eyupsor.
Now only two teams remain where Eldor failed to score: "Gyoztepe" and "Fenerbahçe." In the second half of the championship, our compatriot tries to score goals even when facing these same opponents. "Kayserispor" remains the only team that has not allowed Shomurodov to score in two games.
Furthermore, Alanyaspor remains Eldor's "lucky opponent": he was named the first club to score against the same team in both rounds of the championship.
Istanbul Bashakshehir will play their next match on February 27th at home against Konyaspor in front of their fans. Now one question: Will Shomurodov maintain this pace and become the sole leader in the top scorers race? Fans are waiting - because this season's plots are going very "tasty."
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