Amed Sportif dismantle Başakşehir with second-half xG surge

Amed Sportif produced one of the most lopsided second halves in recent Super Lig memory, blowing Başakşehir away with a 5–0 victory at Diyarbakır Stadium that the underlying numbers barely begin to explain. The hosts generated 3.86 expected goals across 90 minutes — 3.02 of it arriving after the interval — while limiting the visitors to 0.32. The scoreline, in other words, did not flatter Amed; it merely caught up to the chances they created.

The first half offered little hint of the avalanche to come. Amed controlled possession (53%) and edged the xG count 0.84 to 0.19, but only one shot from either side found the target. The breakthrough arrived in first-half stoppage time when Emin Bayram diverted a cross into his own net, handing Amed a 1–0 lead that felt fragile rather than commanding. Başakşehir, set up in a 4-2-3-1, had restricted space well enough to keep the game alive, and both sides fashioned one big chance apiece.

Whatever adjustment Amed made at the break, it worked instantly. Operating in a 3-4-2-1 that transitioned into a fluid front three, the hosts surrendered possession (32% in the second half) but gained penetration. Their xG open play leapt from 0.84 to 2.21; touches in the opposition box rose from 11 to 14 despite fewer passes in the final third. Başakşehir’s 4-2-3-1 offered no answer as the game stretched.

Gift Orban was the primary beneficiary. The Nigerian striker scored three times in 23 minutes — 51′, 55′, 74′ — finishing with 2.64 xG on the night. His first was a poacher’s instinct, the second and third came from Ermal Krasniqi’s incisive passing. Krasniqi, deployed in the left half-space of Amed’s 3-4-2-1, registered two assists and 0.05 xG, his movement constantly dragging Başakşehir’s back line out of shape. Mbaye Diagne added a fifth in the 83rd minute, converting Rayan Raveloson’s cutback.

Amed’s 22 shots to 7, 6 shots on target to 1, and 4 big chances to 1 tell a story of total attacking dominance. Yet the most revealing figure is the second-half xG differential: 3.02 to 0.13. Başakşehir mustered four shots after the break, only one on target, and their open-play xG collapsed to 0.10. Amed’s set-play xG of 0.81 (versus 0.03) also underscored their threat on dead balls, though all five goals came from open play.

Orban’s hat-trick was the headline, but Krasniqi’s creativity was the engine. The Kosovan international found pockets between Başakşehir’s midfield and defence, delivering the passes for Orban’s second and third goals. His 0.05 xG belies his influence; he was the player who turned Amed’s territorial advantage into clear-cut opportunities. For Başakşehir, Dia Saba (0.24 xG) was the lone attacker to register a meaningful xG contribution, but he was starved of service as Amed’s midfield duo of Furkan Soyalp and Raveloson controlled the transitions.