Fenerbahce celebrate one of their goals
Fenerbahce dug deep to progress from the Champions League (UCL) third qualifying round, defeating Feyenoord 5-2 in Turkey to claim a 6-4 aggregate win. Progression keeps their hopes of a first UCL main draw appearance since 2008/09 alive.
An evenly contested opening soon gave way to a period of Fener dominance, as the Turkish side looked to overturn a first-leg defeat, with Jhon Duran looking menacing early on.0
Strike partner Youssef En-Nesyri then had his celebrations cut short just before the half-hour mark, straying marginally offside as the home side pressed for an opener.
The Fenerbahce backline had rarely been troubled, but with half-time approaching, Feyenoord took a surprise lead through Tsuyoshi Watanabe, who headed home Hwang In-beom’s delivery from a deep set piece.
However, it took just three minutes for Fener to strike back, capitalising on Anis Hadj Moussa’s miskick that led to a corner, which was converted by Archie Brown with a header of his own.
Incredibly, a third goal in six minutes saw the tie levelled thanks to Duran, who charged onto En-Nesyri’s knockdown and prodded home clinically in first-half stoppage time, putting his side ahead on the night.
Searching for fresh impetus, Robin van Persie turned to his bench at the break, bringing on Goncalo Borges, who was only denied by the outstretched boot of Irfan Can Egribayat.
That stop proved pivotal minutes later when Fred produced a sumptuous effort from range, bending his strike into the top corner without breaking stride to put Fener ahead on aggregate.
The typically fervent home supporters were in a buoyant mood as their side remained in control of the contest heading into the final stages of the tie.
Ultimately, there was no way through for Feyenoord, who rallied late on before a swift breakaway at the other end sealed the result, with En-Nesyri tucking home Brown’s low cross.
Watanabe restored a glimmer of hope in the 89th minute when he bagged his brace by lashing in a half-volley from the edge of the area, but any glimmer of hope was dashed by a fifth home goal as Anderson Talisca capped off the scoring with a well-placed finish.
Jose Mourinho's side now have one more hurdle to clear, facing either Nice or Benfica in the playoff round. As for Feyenoord, a ninth loss in their last 16 European away fixtures (W2, D5) means they will drop into the UEFA Europa League playoff qualifier.
Check out all the match stats here.
The key stats
[(FC Utrecht) Strength]: 1. FC Utrecht are undoubtedly motivated to defend their home field in this game.2. FC Utrecht won 4-0 over Heracles Almelo in the first league game of the new season, starting with a win.3. FC Utrecht won 3-1 over Servette in the last European football match, securing 3 victories in the last 3.4. FC Utrecht scored 15 goals and conceded 5 in the last 5 games, boasting decen...
[(FC Shakhtar Donetsk) Strength]: 1. FC Shakhtar Donetsk scored three goals in a single match in the last game, and all of them were scored by different players.2. FC Shakhtar Donetsk drew 3-3 with their opponents in the last game. The team have remained unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, with three wins and two draws.[(FC Shakhtar Donetsk) Neutral]: 1. FC Shakhtar Donets...
[(SC Braga) Strength]: 1. SC Braga, a Primeira Liga side, advanced to the Europa League third qualifying round after a 0-0 draw on aggregate against Bulgarian club Levski Sofia in regulation time. They eventually secured a 1-0 extra-time victory thanks to Fran Navarro's decisive goal. Now playing at home, they will be highly motivated for this clash.2. SC Braga's starting midfielder Jean-Baptiste ...
[(FC Anyang) Strength]: 1. FC Anyang are 11th in the league table, deep in the relegation zone but only 7 points away from the Split A. Thus, they are motivated to grab points to move up.2. FC Anyang scored 7 goals in the previous 6 games, boasting average overall offense. This season so far, they scored 17 goals in 12 home games, averaging over 1 goal per game.[(FC Anyang) Weakness]: 1. FC Anyang...
[(Jeju SK FC) Strength]: 1. Jeju SK FC are 9th in the league, 5 points away from the Split A. They still have a chance to enter the top six. In this match, they are eager to take home advantage to secure crucial points and boost morale.2. Jeju SK FC recorded 6 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses at home this season, with a home win rate of 50%.3. Jeju SK FC won 4 of the previous 5 games and the last 2 home...
[(Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas) Strength]: 1. This match is the first encounter between the two sides. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, having played at home first, surely hope to gain a sufficient advantage, so they are motivated.2. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas recently signed goalkeeper Neto from Premier League side AFC Bournemouth. He is expected to make his debut in this match.3. Botafogo de F...
[(Club Libertad) Strength]: 1. Club Libertad drew 1-1 with ACS Comunal Recolta Dorolt in the last game. They remained unbeaten with 3 wins and 1 draw in the last 4 games, showing a rebound in form.2. Club Libertad scored 10 goals in the last 5 games, revealing recovery offense.3. Club Libertad conceded 3 goals in the last 5 games, demonstrating solid defense.[(Club Libertad) Neutral]: 1. Club Libe...
[(Universitario de Deportes) Strength]: 1. Universitario de Deportes easily defeated Sport Boys 1-0 in their last match, achieving a 3-game winning streak. The team have also extended their unbeaten run to 12 games, demonstrating an outstanding performance.2. Universitario de Deportes have played well in offense at home, scoring a total of 12 goals in their last 5 home games.3. Universitario de De...
[(FC Noah) Strength]: 1. FC Noah are an Armenian Premier League club. In the second qualifying round of this season's Champions League, they were eliminated 6-4 on aggregate against Hungarian side Ferencvaros. They now drop into the Europa League third qualifying round and will be highly motivated for this home fixture.2. FC Noah's starting forward Imran Oulad is in fit form in European football t...
[(Breidablik) Strength]: 1. Breidablik won 1-0 over Zrinjski Mostar at home in the last Europa League qualifier.[(Breidablik) Neutral]: 1. Breidablik are from the Icelandic league, with a value of about 4.2 million euros this season.2. There were goals scored at halftime in 17 of Breidablik's last 19 games, which were not dull.[(Breidablik) Weakness]: 1. Breidablik have been in poor recent form. I...
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