Failing to win any of their last six games across all competitions, Konyaspor welcomed the struggling side to the Konya Buyuksehir Stadium.
The uneventful first-half ended 0-0 as both teams paid for their profligacy in front of goal, while Denizlispor’s Tiago Lopes was cautioned by referee Huseyin Gocek for a reckless tackle.
In the second-half, Palut’s side came out on fire and that paid off in the 52nd minute after Abdulkerim Bardakci put them ahead thanks to an assist from Deni Milosevic. With the visitors’ defenders caught out of position, the Turkish defender fired past goalkeeper Cenk Gonen a low cross from the Bosnia and Herzegovina star.
In the keenly contested affair at the Hatay New Stadium, Antakya, it was the visitors who took a 33rd-minute lead through Artem Kravets. Profiting from some shambolic defending from the hosts, the Ukrainian forward headed a pass from Nejc Skubic past goalkeeper Munir.
While it appeared like Konyaspor would be heading into the half-time break with a goal advantage, Boupendza equalised for the hosts in the 43rd minute. Left unmarked outside the goal area, the 24-year-old curled in a beauty past goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic.
In the second half, both teams came out stronger but their inability to convert begging chances ensured that scores remained 1-1 for a while.