Fenerbahce saw their hopes of UEFA Champions League progression ended by a 2-1 defeat to Porto.
Argentine ace dashes Turkish dreams
Fenerbahce saw their hopes of UEFA Champions League progression ended by a 2-1 defeat to Porto on Tuesday.
The Turks can no longer reach the knockout stages of the competition after a Lisandro Lopez brace brought their seven-match unbeaten run at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium to an abrupt end.
The home side did dictate proceedings from the off, enjoying the majority of the early possession and creating the better chances.
However, for all their artistry going forward they looked far from secure at the back and it was difficult to see their shaky defence holding firm.
So it proved, when on 19 minutes Lisandro was gifted the opening goal.
Volkan Demirel flapped at a harmless high ball and the Porto hit-man was on hand to volley past a host of flailing bodies on the line.
Having taken a shock lead, the Portuguese champions were then fortunate not to allow Fener an immediate route back into the contest.
Edu was able to tower above some statuesque defending inside the box as he met a clever free-kick from the left and was disappointed to see his glancing header drift inches wide of the post.
Implode
The Turks continued to implode, though, at the back and fell further behind on 28 minutes when Lisandro bagged his second of the evening.
The burly forward did appear to use his arm to control a bouncing ball but, with the referee deeming there to have been no infringement, the Argentina international played on while those around him ground to halt and was able to bundle the ball home at the second attempt.
The hosts were now getting desperate, leaving gaping holes at the back, and were fortunate to see an audacious lob from Tomas Costa bounce back off a post as the interval approached.
Fener did, though, almost snatch a lifeline moments after the restart when Spanish striker Dani Guiza saw the ball bobble off his shin and over the bar after an almighty scramble in the Porto box.
The game was now stretched to breaking point, with Fener adopting a desperate, cavalier approach and Porto happy to sit back and attack on the counter.
One such breakaway did see Hulk gallop clear and threaten to snatch a third, but the Brazilian was unable to poke the ball into an empty net when pushed wide by Volkan.
He was then made to pay for his wastefulness on 63 minutes when former Sheffield United winger Colin Kazim-Richards, who had been introduced at the break, saw his hopeful 20-yard effort cannon off Bruno Alves and loop over the head of the helpless Helton.
Luis Aragones' men failed to muster an equaliser, though, and the only other moment of note during a forgettable finale was the introduction of Pele in place of Hulk - a switch which raised a few chuckles among those in Istanbul.
| Fenerbahce |
Team Statistics |
FC Porto |
| 1 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
2 |
| 6 |
Shots on Target |
6 |
| 8 |
Shots off Target |
8 |
| 8 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 6 |
Corners |
5 |
| 22 |
Fouls |
16 |
| 0 |
Offsides |
3 |
| 5 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 84.9 |
Passing Success |
68 |
| 32 |
Tackles |
20 |
| 81.2 |
Tackles Success |
85 |
| 66.2 |
Possession |
33.8 |
| 51.3 |
Territorial Advantage |
48.7 |
|
