Çorum FK 2-1 Rizespor: Moukoko off the bench seals Süper Lig comeback

Substitute Youssoufa Moukoko scored ten minutes from time to give Çorum FK a 2-1 comeback win over Rizespor in the Süper Lig on Friday. Qazim Laci had put the visitors ahead on 32 minutes at the Çorum Şehir Stadyumu, but Cengiz Ünder equalised six minutes later, and Moukoko, on the pitch for only eight minutes, settled a tight round-eight contest on 80 minutes from Alexandros Kyziridis's assist. In this match report we go through how the game unfolded, the numbers behind it and what the three points mean for two sides who started the night level on points.

Çorum FK vs Rizespor match report: a game of fine margins

Few matches this season have been as evenly balanced on paper. Both teams finished with ten shots and four on target. Possession was split 53% to 47% in Çorum's favour, and the expected goals totals were modest at 0.66 for the hosts and 0.46 for the visitors. This was not a night of chances; it was decided by a handful of moments, and Çorum took more of them.

The opening half-hour was scrappy. Referee Davut Dakul Çelik booked Rizespor defender Zakaria Ariss on 12 minutes. Çorum made an unusually early change on 25 minutes, when Andrei Borza made way for Arda Şengül, and Berat Özdemir picked up a yellow card two minutes later. Rizespor then struck first. Albanian midfielder Qazim Laci found the net on 32 minutes to put the visitors in front.

The lead lasted only six minutes. Cengiz Ünder, part of Çorum's starting front three, equalised on 38 minutes, and the teams went in level at 1-1. The hosts changed shape slightly at the interval, bringing on Ylber Ramadani for Mohammed Diomande in midfield, and the second half settled into a cautious pattern as both coaches turned to their benches.

The decisive switch came on 72 minutes, when Jesús Ramírez was replaced by Youssoufa Moukoko. Rizespor responded with a triple change on 76 minutes, and Çorum made two more on 78 minutes, taking off goalscorer Ünder and the booked Özdemir. Two minutes later Kyziridis provided the pass and Moukoko finished to make it 2-1. Yellow cards for Modibo Sagnan and Çorum's Gökhan Sazdağı followed in a tense finish, but the hosts held on.

Key moments timeline

• 12' – Yellow card, Rizespor: Zakaria Ariss.
• 25' – Çorum substitution: Arda Şengül on for Andrei Borza.
• 27' – Yellow card, Çorum: Berat Özdemir.
• 32' – GOAL, Rizespor: Qazim Laci (0-1).
• 38' – GOAL, Çorum: Cengiz Ünder (1-1).
• 46' – Çorum substitution: Ylber Ramadani on for Mohammed Diomande.
• 61' – Rizespor substitution: Emrecan Bulut on for Valentin Mihăilă.
• 72' – Çorum substitution: Youssoufa Moukoko on for Jesús Ramírez.
• 76' – Rizespor triple change: Moussa Diakité, Gennaro Borrelli and Iustin Doicaru replace Ibrahim Olawoyin, Ali Sowe and Adedire Mebude.
• 78' – Çorum double change: Ermin Mahmić and Markus Karlsbakk replace Ünder and Özdemir.
• 80' – GOAL, Çorum: Youssoufa Moukoko, assisted by Alexandros Kyziridis (2-1).
• 81' – Yellow card, Rizespor: Modibo Sagnan.
• 83' – Yellow card, Çorum: Gökhan Sazdağı. Rizespor substitution: Dal Varešanović on for Laci.

Match statistics: level on shots, split by efficiency

The figures underline how little separated the sides. Rizespor actually took more shots from inside the box (seven to six) and won three times as many corners, but they could not turn that territorial edge into clear openings. Çorum were tidier in possession, completing 87% of their passes against 82% for the visitors, and goalkeeper Marcos Felipe made three saves to Yahia Fofana's two. The hosts committed 17 fouls to Rizespor's 11, a sign of how hard they worked to disrupt the visitors' rhythm. The event log shows two bookings for each side.

Tactical analysis: Çorum's 3-4-3 against Rizespor's 4-1-4-1

Çorum lined up in a 3-4-3, with Marcos Felipe behind a back three of Alexandre Penetra, Çağlar Söyüncü and Hrvoje Smolčić. Gökhan Sazdağı and Andrei Borza operated as wing-backs either side of Berat Özdemir and Mohammed Diomande, while Ünder, Ramírez and Kyziridis formed the front three. Borza's early withdrawal forced an early rethink on the left, and the half-time introduction of Ramadani gave the midfield a fresh look.

Rizespor opted for a 4-1-4-1, with Taylan Antalyalı screening a back four of Mithat Pala, Siaka Bakayoko, Modibo Sagnan and Zakaria Ariss. Laci, Olawoyin, Mebude and Mihăilă supported lone striker Ali Sowe. Their six corners showed they could reach dangerous areas, yet the visitors converted only one of their chances, and the 76th-minute triple change that brought on Borrelli and Doicaru came only four minutes before Çorum's winner.

Moukoko's impact off the bench

The decisive tactical call was Çorum's at 72 minutes. Moukoko, the former Borussia Dortmund prodigy, needed only eight minutes to make his mark, finishing a move set up by Kyziridis. It was a textbook example of a substitute changing a game that had been drifting towards a draw.

Süper Lig table: Çorum pull clear of Rizespor

Both clubs went into round eight with identical records: ten points from seven games, three wins, one draw and three defeats. Çorum were eighth thanks to a better goal difference (+4 against −2), with Rizespor tenth. The result changes that picture:

• Çorum FK: 13 points from eight matches (W4 D1 L3), 18 goals scored and 13 conceded, goal difference +5.
• Rizespor: 10 points from eight matches (W3 D1 L4), 8 scored and 11 conceded, goal difference −3.

Final positions after round eight will depend on the rest of the weekend's results, but Çorum FK have opened a three-point gap on Rizespor and strengthened their place in the top half of the Süper Lig table. Çorum's attack, now on 18 goals, remains one of their main strengths, while Rizespor's eight goals in eight games point to a clear problem in front of goal.

Head-to-head: a first meeting in our records

Our head-to-head database showed no previous meetings between the two clubs before Friday. That makes this result the first entry in the series, with Çorum taking the early bragging rights. The return fixture at Rizespor later in the season now carries extra edge, especially if the two sides remain close in the standings.

What's next for Çorum FK and Rizespor

For Çorum, the challenge is to turn an eye-catching home win into a consistent run; their record still shows as many defeats as wins before this match. Rizespor, meanwhile, need to find more cutting edge, because ten shots and six corners should usually be enough to create more than 0.46 expected goals. Check our fixtures and results page for the next Süper Lig games and follow the scores on live.