Ghanaian defender Jerome Opoku played a key role as Istanbul Basaksehir recorded an emphatic 5-1 win over Gaziantep in Monday night’s Turkish Super Lig encounter.
The centre-back was handed another start and stayed on for the full 90 minutes, producing a composed and commanding display at the back.
Opoku capped his performance with a telling contribution, supplying the assist for Ivan Brnic to score Basaksehir’s fifth goal late in the contest.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 21st minute through Eldor Shomurov before Gaziantep briefly responded via Drissa Camara five minutes later.
Basaksehir wasted little time in regaining control as Abbosbek Fayzullaev restored their advantage just three minutes after the equaliser.
After the interval, the home side tightened their grip on the match when Arsa Kizildag inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.
Umut Gunes then added a fourth goal with 22 minutes left on the clock to further stretch the lead.
Basaksehir continued to dominate proceedings until the final whistle, underlining their attacking depth and defensive solidity.
Opoku’s assured showing and late assist rounded off a memorable night for the Istanbul-based club.
