Midfielder Mithat Yaşar put Rizespor ahead in the 34th minute, and Rizespor held on to the lead until halftime. Black Sea side Rizespor was reduced to 10 men in the 62nd minute, when defender Evren Kürkçü was sent off by referee Nihat Akman.Playing with a one-man advantage, struggling Erciyesspor threw everything it had at Çaykur Rizespor, but the defense was too resolute to let in goals. And against the run of play, veteran midfielder Engin Öztonga scored the second goal for Rize on a counterattack in the 85th to put the game beyond reach. The victory moved Rizespor up to fourth place in the standings with 14 points from eight outings.
It is worth noting that there were incidents of hooliganism during this match. The match was halted in the 63rd minute after a group of fans threw objects onto the pitch. And an irate fan who tried to invade the pitch was wrestled to the ground by security officials. And again in the 72nd minute, play was halted for five minutes after assistant referee Şeref Basmacı was hit by a projectile and fell to the ground.
Hooliganism is rearing its ugly head again, and it appears those concerned are turning a blind eye to their legal responsibility. There were acts of hooliganism and vandalism during the recent Turkcell Super League match between Beşiktaş and Denizlispor, as well. And on Sunday there were also acts of violence and vandalism during the Kardemir Karabükspor-Kartalspor Bank Asya League 1 match in Karabük.
Must somebody be maimed or killed before action is taken?
