Nigerian stars Ibrahim Olawoyin and Okechukwu Azubuike have earned promotion to the Turkish Super Lig with Çaykur Rizespor, www.aclsports.com reports.
Rizespor who were relegated to the second tier of league football in Turkey at the end of the 2021/2022 season confirmed their promotion on the final day of the Turkish Division One season after a 0-0 draw with Altinordu at the Çaykur Didi Stadium on Sunday.
While Azubuike missed Sunday’s game due to a minor injury, Olawoyin played for the entire duration and was one of the shinning lights in the Rizespor team, as he has been since joining the club from Ankara Keçiorengucu in January.
Şimdi @SuperLig’deyiz!
— Çaykur Rizespor (@CRizesporAS) May 21, 2023#70YıllıkTutku
#YeşilMaviSevda pic.twitter.com/KKFmMNVBBL
Rizespor, coached by former Galatasaray defender Bülent Korkmaz were placed 6th on the Turkish Division One League table before the acquisitions of Olawoyin and Azubuike at the mid-season mark with both players immediately sparking a revival as soon as the second stanza of the league commenced.
Both players started each of the three games Rizespor played before the devastating earthquake that caused the suspension of the league season for a month. Rizespor garnered seven points from those three matches.
Former Rangers International star Olawoyin contributed three goals and three assists to Rizespor’s promotion cause and had the enviable record of the club not losing any game he started.
Çaykur Rizespor staved off the challenge of Pendikspor to finish second on the log and earn an automatic promotion ticket alongside Division One champions Samsunspor.
