A crucial goal. Isyakha Tourè ‘s strike gave Messina three vital points against Ragusa . It was a real boost for the Giallorossi, who returned to the play-off zone by drawing level with Sancataldese . On the difficult road to survival, with three matches remaining in the regular season, the Franco-Malian striker’s pace and flair will be crucial.
A guest on “Antenna Giallorossa” on RTP, he analyzed Sunday’s 1-0 win at the “Franco Scoglio” stadium and his current form: “We worked hard, day after day, we rested at Easter and came back even hungrier. After the injury I suffered in December, I returned just as Ramadan began, so it was very difficult, but now I feel good.”
After four away goals, the first home goal finally arrived, celebrated with all his teammates by running from one side of the pitch to the other, heading towards the Curva Sud . It was a spectacular move, with Tedesco ‘s assist capitalized on by his teammate: ” I just wanted to score. I saw Tedesco’s beautiful pass and instinctively hit it with the outside of the goal, without thinking. My specialty is speed, so I prefer to play as a winger and run inside, but I’m at the coach’s disposal, and he always helps me. On Sunday, I played closer to the goal.”
With five goals in 27 appearances, Tourè has already broken his record from last season, when he was playing for Chieti . And there’s still time to improve on his tally and help Messina reach their goal. “I could have scored more. For me, the best goal was against Favara , but Sunday against Ragusa was the most important.”
The 2001-born player then spoke about his arrival in Italy: “My best friend is Dorval , who plays for Bari . We grew up together, then he went to Amiens, I went to Metz . When he called me, inviting me to come to Italy, I spent a few weeks at Giugliano , in Serie C, with Valerio Bertotto . After that period I moved to Chieti (with another former Giallorossi player, Giovanni Ignoffo , as coach, ed.) , where we had a great first half of the season in Serie D, even reaching first place. At the end of that season, however, we decided to part ways with the club, and from there I landed in Messina. Sicily is very beautiful, we’ll see in the future if there’s an opportunity to stay.”
Tourè praises the team, which has faced countless difficulties this year, from the initial -14 points to corporate problems to the arrival of new ownership, all while trying to chase survival at all costs : “This team is a family , we’ve created something that will never be forgotten, not even in twenty years. We’ve all grown together this year and we’ve seen everything; it’s been fantastic. Our greatest quality is our heart . The club believes in us; on the eve of the match against Ragusa, they told us that a family never gives up, and they’re behind us, supporting us. We all had to win together , and we did it.”
