Ariss Agony as Rizespor Edge Gaziantep 2-1 in Süper Lig

Gaziantep FK’s late own goal despair handed Rizespor a 2-1 victory in a pulsating Süper Lig encounter, leaving the home crowd stunned into silence after Zakaria Ariss’s cruel deflection in stoppage time.

Rizespor’s Lightning Start Stuns Gaziantep

The visitors struck first blood after just 12 minutes when Emrecan Bulut latched onto Mithat Pala’s incisive pass, slotting past Kacper Tobiasz with a finish that belied his years. Gaziantep’s five-man defence looked shaky, and their anxiety grew when Ali Sowe doubled Rizespor’s lead on 35 minutes, turning provider Bulut’s cross home with a striker’s instinct.

Gaziantep’s 56% possession told only half the story – their 16 shots yielded just four on target, with eight blocked by a dogged Rizespor rearguard marshalled by Attila Mocsi, who earned a yellow card for his persistent disrupting on the hour mark.

Gaziantep’s Frantic Fightback Falls Short

Mirel Radoi’s triple substitution on 65 minutes – introducing Kamil Calhanoglu, Sontje Hansen, and Eren Kulasin – injected urgency, with Kulasin’s booking for a frustrated foul reflecting the growing tension. The home side finally breached Yahia Fofana’s goal in the 91st minute, but in the cruellest fashion: Ariss’s attempted clearance ricocheting off his knee into his own net.

Rizespor’s bench erupted as Dal Varesanovic’s late yellow card for time-wasting signalled their game management, the visitors weathering Gaziantep’s 8 corners and 10 shots inside the box through sheer resilience.

What This Means For Both Sides

For Recep Ucar’s Rizespor, this smash-and-grab lifts them into early season momentum, their clinical finishing (2 goals from 0.93 xG) proving decisive. Gaziantep’s 0.80 xG reflects their wastefulness – a bitter pill after dominating statistically but leaving empty-handed.

The Süper Lig’s relentless schedule offers Gaziantep immediate redemption, while Rizespor will look to build on this gritty away display. One stat haunts the hosts: in 90+1 minutes of football, their only goal came via their opponents.