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Kasimpaşa entered the game buoyed by an impressive five-match unbeaten streak, while Gaziantep, equally in form, had won two of their last three matches and suffered just one defeat in their last five outings.
The opening minutes set the tone for a pulsating encounter.
Nuno Da Costa fired the hosts ahead in the 7th minute, only for Okereke to restore parity three minutes later with his fourth league goal of the campaign.
Both teams displayed attacking intent early on, but as the game progressed, Kasimpaşa took control. Their dominance paid off when Da Costa bagged his brace just before halftime, giving the home side a deserved lead.
Determined not to leave Istanbul empty-handed, Gaziantep tightened defensively after the break, stifling Kasimpaşa’s creativity while pushing forward in search of an equalizer.
Their perseverance bore fruit in the 83rd minute when Halil Dervişoğlu found the back of the net, levelling the scoreline and setting up a frantic finale.
In stoppage time, Christopher Lugonyi appeared to have secured all three points for Gaziantep with a thunderous strike, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside, leaving the visitors to settle for a share of the spoils.
Okereke’s stellar performance has solidified his position as one of the top-performing Nigerian forwards in the Turkish Super Lig.
With four goals to his name, he trails only Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, who leads Nigerian scorers with 10 strikes this season.
Meanwhile, Polish forward Krzysztof Piątek of İstanbul Başakşehir tops the charts with 12 goals.
The result leaves Gaziantep eighth on the table with 22 points from 17 matches. They now turn their attention to a Turkish Cup fixture against Istanbulspor before resuming league action against Demirspor.
Okereke’s growing influence has sparked speculation that Gaziantep may activate the buy clause in his loan deal from Cremonese.
With his contract at the Italian club running until 2026, Cremonese could be tempted to cash in on the in-form forward.
