Utaka, Martins shine in Turkey, US • Bad days for Etuhu, Ighalo

Obafemi Martins

Former Montpellier striker, John Utaka, opened his goal account at Sivasspor on Sunday with a ninth minute strike against Eskişehirspor at the Eylül Stadyumu, leading the hosts to their second win in four games.

Utaka’s goal was an equaliser that brought the hosts back into the game after Senegalese Diomansy Kamara had put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute. Manuel da Costa made it two for Sivasspor but Veysel Sari equalised for the visitors in the 60th minute. It was Aatif Chahechouhe’s 73rd minute strike that made it 3-2 for the hosts.

Utaka was, however, substituted in the 46th minute for Aydin Karabulut after suffering a knock.

Obafemi Martins struck again for Seattle Sounders in the early hours of Saturday as they beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 in Washington, making them the MLS Western Conference leaders with 49 points after 27 games. The victory was Sounders’ fifth in a row.

Martins found the back of the net in the eighth minute, while a combination between him and DeAndre Yedlin provided the chance for Lamar Neagle to make it 2-0 in the 38th minute.

It was Martins’ eighth goal of the season.

It was a sad weekend for Bright Dike in the MLS as he made his second outing for Toronto FC in their 2-0 loss to hosts New York Red Bull. Dike, who completed his move to Toronto FC last week from Portland Timbers, was a 75th minute substitute for Andrew Wiedman who had a rough day in the encounter.

It was a sadder weekend for Kelvin Etuhu whose own-goal denied Barnsley a point at the City Ground as they went down 3-2 to Nottingham Forrest on Saturday.

Etuhu’s own-goal on the stroke of half-time was the second time this season a Barnsley player has put through their own net. The other was at Blackpool and came in injury time in the second half.

The nightmare weekend was not peculiar to Dike and Etuhu as Odion Ighalo had his first league game of the season cut short by an unexpected red card. He had only come on in the 66th minute for Dani Benitez as Granada searched for a goal against visiting Espanyol, but 16 minutes into the game and a goal down at home, Ighalo was found guilty for a rough challenge which earned him a straight red card.

Isaac Promise was on for 90 minutes, helping Antalyaspor earn a point against Turkish champions Galatasaray on Friday. Melih Gökçek (Cristiano dos Santos) had put the visitors ahead in the first half before Didier Drogba equalised for Gala in the second.

Former Sunshine Stars captain, Godfrey Oboabona, was again an unused substitute as his team Rizespor earned all points on the road at Gaziantepspor in their 5-2 win.

Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama could not help Lille in their 2-0 home loss against Nice on Sunday, conceding two goals from Dario Cvitanich in both halves in the French Ligue Une. Enyeama has now conceded four goals in five games in the French league this season.