Burak Kaya inspires Çaykur Rizespor win

In TEFL’s 27th-round fixture, Çaykur Rizespor secured three crucial points with a 1-0 away win over Kocaelispor. With just one goal separating the sides, the balance remained intact for much of the match, but Çaykur Rizespor ultimately emerged on top.

The Black Sea side prioritised defensive solidity throughout and kept Kocaelispor at bay. Goalkeeper Doğukan Kemük was one of the foundations of the victory, keeping a clean sheet and denying the hosts a way back into the match. His performance proved decisive in protecting the slender lead.

Burak Kaya was named Çaykur Rizespor’s standout player. Operating behind the attack, Kaya dictated the tempo and helped execute his team’s controlled game plan, earning his place among the architects of the victory. After suffering a heavy defeat to Beşiktaş Esports the previous week, Rizespor produced a far more resilient display this time around.

Kocaelispor, meanwhile, suffered a second consecutive defeat following their loss to Samsunspor. The hosts struggled to create goalscoring opportunities and could not find an equaliser against Çaykur Rizespor’s disciplined defence. The result left Kocaelispor 11th on 29 points, while Çaykur Rizespor strengthened their grip on sixth place by moving up to 48 points.

Çaykur Rizespor lineup: Burak Kaya, Onur Akbaş, Yekta Furkan Gürsoy, Ilyas Karapıçak, Mehmet Efe Kan, Eren Kütük, Atahan Dönmez, Erdoğan Dernek, Doğukan Kemük, Ali Başaran, Saner İlkbahar

You can view the statistics from the Kocaelispor - Çaykur Rizespor match here.