Late drama sees former Sheffield Wednesday man secure emotional escape
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was at the centre of an emotional survival bid in the Turkish Super Lig this season.
Hatayspor were rocked by devastation last season when a huge earthquake in Turkey and Syria killed around 60,000 people – including star player, Christian Atsu, and their sporting director, Taner Savu. They withdrew from the rest of the league campaign as a result.
This season, due to extensive damage done to their stadium during the quake, they have been forced to play their home games three hours away at Mersin Stadium, and have battled against the drop in recent months after what was a very solid start to their 2023/24 campaign.
Dele-Bashiru’s side were in the drop zone heading into the final day, needing a win over Rizespor as well as other results to go their way in order to survive relegation and a fall into the TFF First League.
And it was the former Owl that came up with the goods early in the encounter, finishing smartly from the edge of the box to give them the lead inside the opening five minutes. Carlos Strandberg popped up in the second half to make it 2-0, and with Ankaragücü conceding twice in stoppage time they climbed up the table. Konyaspor’s defeat to champions, Galatasaray, also helped their cause.
In the end they finished 15th, a point clear of the bottom four, with their four-game unbeaten run at the end of the season proving to be enough to get the job done and secure another year in the Turkish top-flight.
‘Fizz’ enjoyed a strong debut campaign in Turkey as he grabbed 16 goals and assists despite Hatayspor’s troubles, earning his first senior call-up to the Nigerian national team along the way. This month he has been named in their squad for World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin in June.