Sivasspor beat Antalyaspor 2:1 in the Turkish first division on Sunday evening, a result that keeps both sides hovering near the bottom of the table. The match was played at the Antalya Stadium before a modest crowd, and Sivasspor took all three points thanks to a second-half winner from Rey Manaj. We had backed the home side to win with confidence, but the game took a different turn.
Kamil Fidan gave Sivasspor an early lead in the twentieth minute, a simple finish that caught the home defence off guard. Pedrinho responded quickly, pulling one back for Antalyaspor just nine minutes later, and the momentum seemed to shift. Fidan was then substituted at the hour mark, a tactical move that did little to change the flow.
Rey Manaj broke the deadlock for Sivasspor in the sixty-first minute, and by then the visitors had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Nuno Da Costa missed a penalty in the eighty-second minute, a moment that could have levelled things, but his effort sailed over the bar. Antalyaspor pressed on, but Sivasspor held on grimly through the closing stages.
The statistics tell their own story. Antalyaspor enjoyed 65 per cent possession and registered 108 attacks, yet they managed only three shots on target from eleven attempts. Sivasspor were more efficient, hitting five targets from ten attempts, and that accuracy made the difference. The home side also had eight corners to their visitors' one, but corners rarely decide matches on their own.
Both teams remain on six points after six games, though Sivasspor sit one place higher thanks to their three draws. The result ends Antalyaspor's brief spell of confidence coming into this fixture, while Sivasspor extend their unbeaten run in a different sense. And here's the thing — matches like this are won in moments, not in possession charts.
