Bursaspor manager Mustafa Er has come out to support Kelechi Iheanacho after the striker's scoring run ended in the club's 3-0 victory over Tosin Kehinde's Bandırmaspor in the 13th week of the Trendyol 1. Lig.
Iheanacho did not score on Saturday for the first time this season for both club and country. But Er said that Iheanacho's contributions go beyond just goals.
"He has made a tremendous contribution so far. He did not score today; that is okay. For us, the score is more important than who scores," Er said, according to Vatan.
The 30-year-old striker scored in 12 straight league games since he joined Bursaspor as a free agent from Celtic. He is now the first player in Turkish football history to achieve this.
Iheanacho's goal against Muğlaspor on October 15 was his 10th in a row. This broke the record shared by Galatasaray legends Metin Oktay and Saffet Sancaklı. He went on to score against Pendikspor on October 19 and Ankara Keçiörengücü on October 25, bringing his tally to 12.
He finished the streak with 16 goals and three assists.
In the match against Bandırmaspor, Iheanacho was closely marked by the defenders, which kept him quiet. Halil Akbunar and Lewis Baker, who scored twice, helped secure the win. Bursaspor has now won four games in a row and sits at the top of the table.
The 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup Golden Ball winner also scored for the Super Eagles in the 3-3 draw with Russia at the Sovcombank Arena on October 6. He remains on coach Eric Chelle's radar for next month's AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania.
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