Kelechi Iheanacho continued his impressive run of form in the Turkish 1. Liga on Thursday evening, scoring twice for Bursaspor in their emphatic 4-0 victory over Istanbulspor.
The Super Eagles forward was on target at both ends of the match as the hosts secured a convincing win at the Matlı Stadyumu Atatürk Spor Kompleksi.
The Super Eagles star opened the scoring and completed his brace as the Green and Whites cruised to victory in their fifth-round clash.
After scoring a goal and providing an assist in Bursaspor’s comeback win over Kayserispor in their previous outing, Iheanacho produced another outstanding display to further underline his importance to the Turkish side.
The 29-year-old has now taken his tally to six goals and two assists in five appearances, giving him eight goal contributions already this season.
Iheanacho thought he had given the hosts the lead after just 26 minutes, but his effort was ruled out.
However, his persistence finally paid off shortly before half-time. The Nigerian received the ball from Lincoln at the edge of the box, dribbled past his marker and drilled a low shot into the bottom-right corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
Bursaspor took their slender lead into the break.
Thirteen minutes after the restart, Halil Akbunar found the net to double the hosts’ advantage.
Nine minutes later, the Pride of the Green and Whites struck again on the counterattack. A cross from the right was heading towards Iheanacho for what appeared to be a simple tap-in, but Duran Şahin inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to make it 3-0.
Iheanacho completed his brace in the 77th minute. A corner was headed towards him inside the box, and the forward calmly controlled the ball, turned and finished with a simple first-time effort to seal the comfortable victory.
The result further highlights Iheanacho’s resurgence in the Turkish 1. Liga, with the Nigerian forward proving to be one of Bursaspor’s most influential players early in the campaign.
His latest performance could also give Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle plenty to think about as he considers his squad for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
With six goals and two assists already to his name, Iheanacho appears to be making a strong case for a return to the national team setup.
