The Mali international scored a goal in each half as the Braves demolished their hosts to claim all three points
Mustapha Yatabare was Sivasspor’s hero as they subdued Goztepe 5-3 in Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig encounter.
Unbeaten in their last five league games, the Braves travelled to the Gursel Aksel Stadium with the ambition of extending their impressive run against the Goz Goz that lost 3-0 the last time out to Ankaragucu.
That wish became a reality with the Mali international one of the stand-out performers in the eight-goal thriller.
Sivasspor got off to a flying start with Tyler Boyd putting them ahead in the 13th minute. Sadly, the goal was chalked off by VAR as the American forward was in an offside position.
Ten minutes later, they took a well-deserved lead through Yatabare as goalkeeper Irfan Egribayat fumbled a back pass from Marko Mihojevic.
Morocco international Faycal Fajr doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 38th minute with a beauty from outside the hosts’ goal area.
Three minutes later, Boyd made it three goals for Riza Calimbay’s side with Ugur Ciftci providing the assist. In a goal-laden first-half, Boyd completed his brace on the stroke of half-time – rounding the goalkeeper after he was teed up by Ahmet Oguz.
In the second-half, Sivasspor continued from where they left things in the first 45 minutes. Yatabare got his second goal of the evening in the 55th minute – capitalising on awful defending by Goztepe’s defenders before converting Max-Alain Gradel’s pass into a goal.
Having leaked five goals, Unal Karaman awakened from their slumber and they pulled one goal back courtesy of Cherif Ndiaye on the hour mark after a one-two exchange with Zlatko Tripic.
Six minutes later, another goal tumbled for them through Brazilian defender Titi who guided Adis Jahovic’s header past goalkeeper Ali Vural.
In the closing seconds of the encounter, substitute Fousseni Diabate scored the hosts’ third goal with forgotten Super Eagles forward Brown Ideye supplying the last pass.
After an impressive shift, Yatabare – who now boasts eight goals so far this season – was replaced in the 68th minute by Arouna Kone, while Fajr and Ghana’s Isaac Cofie were on parade from start to finish.
For the hosts, Ndiaye and Nigeria’s Obinna Nwobodo saw every minute of action with Anderson Esiti coming in for Adis Jahovic with three minutes to full time.
Thanks to this result, Sivasspor climbed to ninth in the Turkish elite division log with 40 points from 29 matches, while Goztepe occupy 10th spot with 39 points with an extra game to play.