Stalemate in Ankara: Keçiörengücü and Sivasspor Play to Goalless Draw as Both Sides Search for Their Spark
In the cool autumn air at Aktepe Stadium, the script could have belonged to any number of recent chapters in the season for Keçiörengücü and Sivasspor: promising buildup play, stretches of tension, and ultimately, the blank finality of a 0-0 draw. The final whistle on Sunday afternoon did little to change the fortunes—or frustrations—of two teams still searching for definition as autumn deepens in Turkey’s 1. Lig.
For Keçiörengücü, today’s result extended an already uneasy run of form, a sequence in which promise and peril have become familiar companions. After a tumultuous 1-4 defeat to Amed just a fortnight ago, the Ankara club was desperate to reassert some measure of control. The defensive solidity that manager Mustafa Dalcı demanded was evident from the outset: the hosts sat deep, organized, arms locked across the back four, and forced Sivasspor to conjure something special out of a pair of half-chances and speculative efforts in the opening 25 minutes.
Yet for all Keçiörengücü’s resolve, the final third remained a puzzle without a solution. Francis Ezeh, whose early strike secured their last win against Bodrumspor, found little daylight between Sivasspor’s disciplined centre-backs. The best moment for the home side arrived on the hour mark, when Eduart Rroca’s curling effort from the edge of the box forced a sprawling save from Alperen Uysal, Sivasspor’s alert goalkeeper who commanded his area with a calm born of recent clean sheets.
Sivasspor, meanwhile, entered the capital without a goal conceded in three consecutive league fixtures, but with nagging questions about their offensive bite. Daniel Avramovski—whose sensational brace helped demolish Adana Demirspor in late September—flashed glimpses of his class, especially in the 38th minute when his low drive crept centimeters wide of the far post. But Sivasspor’s attacking machinery, so fluid on their day, sputtered again against compact, determined opposition.
The turning point, if it could be called that, was a five-minute spell midway through the second half. Keçiörengücü surged forward, roared on by a restless home crowd, and nearly produced the breakthrough. Substitute İbrahim Akdağ, a regular late-game catalyst, saw his goalbound shot blocked at point-blank range by Emre Öztürk. Moments later, Oğuzcan Çalışkan rose highest for a corner, only to nod his header straight into Uysal’s gloves. As frustration mounted, the game slipped back into a midfield tug-of-war, both sides wary of overcommitting.
The contest was remarkably free of disciplinary drama. Referee Serkan Tokat kept his cards pocketed, the only flashpoints coming from the groans of the crowd rather than the boots of the players. By the 80th minute, it was clear that neither team was willing to risk defeat for the sake of an improbable victory.
Context weighs heavily on the result. Keçiörengücü, sitting 15th with just 10 points from 10 games, are a side perpetually teetering on the edge, their four draws in the last five outings emblematic of a club capable of resilience but short on inspiration. The goals of Ezeh, Çalışkan, and Akdağ have come sporadically, and a failure to convert spells of possession into points has left them glancing nervously over their shoulders at the gathering storm in the bottom four.
Sivasspor, by contrast, hold eighth place, five points clear of today’s hosts. But the mood in their camp is equally restless. Since their 5-0 demolition of Adana Demirspor, the central Anatolian club has followed with three consecutive 0-0 draws—a pattern that hints at defensive fortitude yet leaves supporters yearning for the attacking verve that marked their early season surge. The memories of past encounters, often cagey affairs marked by narrow margins, offered little comfort as today’s duel unfolded true to form.
The implications of today’s draw are subtle but significant. For Keçiörengücü, every point is hard-earned insurance, but home draws will not suffice if they are to escape the gravitational pull of a relegation battle. For Sivasspor, the stalemate preserves their unbeaten run but does little to advance ambitions of a playoff push; they remain in the thick of mid-table, defined as much by what could be as by what is.
With the campaign nearing its midpoint, both teams are caught in a familiar grind, yearning for a spark. For Keçiörengücü, the mission is simple: turn draws into victories, or risk being left behind in the autumn churn. For Sivasspor, the question is whether a resolute defense can be wed to attacking invention before the club’s early promise fades into the ordinary.
As the fans filed out of Aktepe, one could sense anticipation mixed with apprehension—the story of the season thus far, waiting for a hero to step forward and change the narrative.