Nigeria’s Akintola Outshines Falcao, Onyekuru, Podolski In Turkey

The Nigerian winger is one of the most exciting attackers in the Turkish top flight, and on Saturday he took his tally beyond the more illustrious football stars

Babajide David Akintola moved higher up on the Turkish top goal scorer’s chart after netting a brace in Hatayspor’s 4-1 mauling of basement club Ankaragucu in a week 27 Super Lig clash at the Hatay Ataturk Stadi.

The visitors are sat at the base of the league standings but still drew first blood in the 16th-minute through Torgeir Boerven, but Mame Biram Diouf equalised just before the halftime whistle.

Joseph Paintsil then received his marching orders to reduce Ankaragucu to ten men and hand the home side the advantage in the tie.

Hatayspor duly obliged when Diouf made it 2-1 from the penalty spot ten minutes after the restart before Babajide David smashed home another penalty in the 65th minute for his first of the afternoon.

The 25-year-old then completed his brace in the 74th minute to put a seal on a win that lifts Omer Erdogan’s side to fifth on the league table in their first-ever campaign in the Turkish top flight following their promotion at the end of last season.

On loan from Danish side Midtjylland, David now boasts six league goals, making him the joint-most prolific Nigerian in the Turkish Super Lig alongside Trabzonspor’s Anthony Nwakaeme.

His haul also sees him ranked better than compatriot Henry Onyekuru (three goals in five games), former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski (three goals for Antalyaspor), and former Manchester United man Radamel Falcao, who has five goals for Galatasaray.

24-year-old Gabonese forward Aaron Boupendza, David’s teammate at Hatayspor, is the top marksman in Turkey with 18 goals in 23 games so far this term.