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Daouda Bamba grabs a brace as Altay SK beat Kayserispor
The 26-year-old Ivorian forward popped up with two goals to help the promoted side get a win on the opening day
Ivory Coast international Daouda Bamba notched a brace as Altay SK cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win against Kayserispor in a Turkish Super Lig match on Saturday.
It took only eight minutes for the 26-year-old to hit the back of the net after combining well with Gabon midfielder Andre Boko, and he added his second in the 45th minute before Thaciano Mickael da Silva sealed the game in the 86th minute at Bornova Stadium.
The towering Bamba opened his account in the eighth minute after his combination with Boko saw the latter square a pass, and he slotted it home past the advancing Kayserispor goalkeeper Dogan Alemdar.
The home team grew in confidence after taking the lead but they had to wait until just before half-time when Bamba doubled their lead, and his second of the day, after heading past Alemdar following a corner delivered by Lionel Carole.
In the second half, Altay kept pushing for a third goal and it arrived in the closing stages when Brazilian Thaciano beat his markers to score with a left-footed effort.
It was the first game for Altay, who earned promotion to the top-flight after 18 years in the cold, and coach Mustafa Denizli was impressed with the outcome.
“I am very happy with the result Altay achieved in the first match of the Super League after many years,” Denizli told the club’s official website.
“More important than the score is that the team is very enthusiastic. The pressure we applied to the opponent all over the field and the balls he won as a result of this pressure forced the opponent to make a mistake.
“Together with the new friends who joined us, we made a team image in a shorter time than I expected. This is extremely gratifying for us.”
On the impact of new signings, Denizli said: “The choices made me very happy as of today. This team won the championship on May 26. I've been watching all of the players who joined our squad today since 27 May.
“It is very difficult for us to transfer players with names known to the football market, therefore, for about two months, we tried to choose football players from these teams.
"We have tried to bring both of these features together.”
Altay will next take on Alanyaspor at Bahcesehir Okullarn Arena on Saturday.
