Nigerian forward David Akintola provided an assist in Caykur Rizespor's hard-fought 1-1 draw against Konyaspor at the Caykur Didi Stadyumu on Saturday.
The hosts took the lead in the 44th minute when Ali Sowe capitalised on a precise assist from Akintola to close out the first half ahead. However, a determined second-half performance by the visitors saw them draw level in the 54th minute, courtesy of a well-taken goal by Daniel Aleksic.
Akintola nearly opened the scoring in the 9th minute but was denied by the woodwork. After Sowe missed a penalty, Akintola's rebound effort struck the post, letting a golden opportunity for the opening goal slip away.
In the 80th minute, the Nigerian missed a chance to make an impact when he headed Taha Şahin's precise cross from the right wing wide of the target, failing to capitalise on the delivery into the penalty area.
Akintola's impressive performance against Konyaspor
David Akintola delivered a solid all-round performance in Rizespor’s 1-1 draw against Konyaspor. The Nigerian forward registered an expected goals (xG) of 1.05 and an expected assist (xA) of 0.25.
With 60 touches on the ball, the 28-year-old displayed a high level of involvement, completing 21 out of 29 passes for a 72% accuracy rate.
He also made an impact in creating chances, registering one key pass and creating one big chance during the match. In terms of shooting, he was active in front of goal, hitting three shots on target, while also having three shots off target and one blocked.
Defensively, he demonstrated his work rate, winning five out of nine ground duels and two out of five aerial duels, contributing both offensively and defensively in a strong team display.
Akintola has featured in 12 Super Lig matches this season, starting 11 of them. During this time, he has scored one goal and provided three assists, averaging 75 minutes per game.
