Joseph Paintsil scores as Ankaragucu see off Hatayspor

Joseph Paintsil found the back of the net as Ankaragucu defeated Hatayspor 2-0 in Tuesday’s Turkish Super Lig game.

The midfielder made his eighth league appearance for the Eryaman Stadium outfit and made the most of the opportunity.

The Ghana international teamed up with Ankaragucu on a season-long loan from Belgian First Division side Genk in the summer.

Paintsil came off the bench to make a significant contribution against Hatayspor, helping them to clinch their second win of the season.

The game started with both sides aiming to open the scoring before Ankaragucu were handed a huge advantage when Hatayspor were reduced to 10 men.

Gokhan Karadeniz was given his marching orders in the 50th minute by for a serious foul play and Ankaragucu capitalized on their numerical advantage.

Zvonimir Sarlija broke the deadlock 19 minutes after the incident, firing his effort beyond the reach of goalkeeper Munir after an assist from Emre Gural.

Paintsil, who was brought on for Ender Aygoren to strengthen the Ankaragucu team, then found the back of the net moments before the end of the game to seal the victory.

Senegal international Mame Diouf featured for 77 minutes in the encounter but could not help his side to avoid defeat and was cautioned in the early minutes of the game.

Paintsil has now scored four goals for Ankaragucu this season, amid other dazzling displays, but his side remain in the relegation zone with eight points.

The midfielder started his European career with Hungarian club Ferencvaros in 2017 before joining Genk in 2018.

Paintsil has four caps for the Ghana national team since he made his debut for the West African side in 2017.

The midfielder will hope to continue his impressive club performances to earn a regular call-up to the Black Stars.

He will be expected to feature for Ankaragucu when they take on Genclerbirligi in their next league game on December 20.