BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
Nadir Ciftci’s roller-coaster loan spell at Eskisehirspor has continued after he bagged his first goal for the Turkish club – before becoming embroiled in a mass brawl.
The 24-year-old opened the scoring in an explosive 3-3 draw against Akhisar Belediyespor, showing magnificent poise and power to burst past two challenges before playing a one-two with Vladyslav Kulach and firing home a low drive.
However, the contest erupted into controversy after 81 minutes when the game was halted to allow treatment for injured Caner Osmanpasa.
Following the stoppage, the referee restarted the match with a drop-ball which only Akhisar contested, allowing Onur Ayik to scamper through on goal to level the scores in the dying embers.
That prompted a furious reaction from the Eski players, with Ciftci ultimately squaring up to powerful midfielder Bruno Mezenga and ripping the Brazilian’s jersey as they tussled. With coaches and club officials even running onto the pitch, at one stage there were around 30 people involved in the bizarre scenes.
It is not the first time Ciftci, who actually attempted to calm the incident and escaped without a card, has found himself at the centre of rancour during his brief stint in the Super Lig.
He missed Eskisehirspor’s three matches prior to Sunday’s tempestuous draw after he was shown a straight red card on just his second appearance for the club – receiving two yellows in the space of 60 seconds against Antalyspor.
The Turkish striker was signed by Celtic for £1.5million from Dundee United last summer, but scored just four times in 22 outings before being farmed out on loan in January.
