Fener wins, Mourinho gets new friends

Jose Mourinho's team managed to preserve the advantage they gained in the first match in Istanbul. Despite various fluctuations, both in their play and off the field, Fenerbahce drew 2-2 with Anderlecht in Belgium.

The 3-0 lead that Fenerbahce secured in Istanbul allowed them to approach tonight’s match against Anderlecht with ease. However, it didn’t seem like Fenerbahce was thinking about that result at all, as the visitors went straight for the Belgian goal.

In just the 4th minute, we saw the first goal of the match. Lucas Hey made a catastrophic mistake, passing the ball straight to Edin Dzeko instead of his own goalkeeper. Bosnian forward had no trouble setting up an unmarked En-Nesyri, who simply slotted the ball into an empty net. At that moment, it seemed like a demolition of the Belgian club by Mourinho’s team was inevitable.

However, after a 15-minute interruption due to a brawl in the stands, the home team managed to equalize. This time, it was the visiting goalkeeper, Egribayat, who made a huge mistake—completely missing a back pass from his teammate—allowing Luis Vazquez to easily put the ball into the net. That moment shifted possession in Anderlecht’s favor.

The hosts pushed forward relentlessly, keeping the ball under their control for most of the match. However, they failed to create any real danger for the visitors. The only notable chances came from Valera and Leoni, but their shots were easily handled by Fenerbahce’s goalkeeper.

Towards the end of the first half, an interesting moment was captured on camera—Jose Mourinho in a brief exchange with one of the stadium stewards.

In the second half, the Belgian team went all out, hoping at least to equalize the aggregate score. The first big chance came in the 52nd minute when Ali Mamar combined well with Luis Vazquez, but his shot went wide of the goal.

However, just three minutes later, their hopes soared even higher. After a brilliant attacking move down the left flank, Thorgan Hazard sent a precise cross into the visitors’ penalty area, where Vazquez was perfectly positioned to beat the goalkeeper, igniting an eruption of joy in the stands.

From that moment, the home side pressed even harder, but their risk backfired. In the 63rd minute, Fenerbahce had a corner, and from it, the visitors managed to equalize. Milan Skriniar reacted well to the cross, heading the ball toward Yusuf Akcicek, who had no trouble guiding it into Anderlecht’s net.

After that goal, the home side's attacks died down. There were no noteworthy chances until the 80th minute when Leander Dendoncker fired a long-range shot, but goalkeeper Coosemans managed to save it.

Until the end of the match, there were no major excitements, so Fenerbahçe will now wait for their opponent in the Round of 16 draw, which will be either Rangers or Olympiacos.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - PLAYOFFS

Return leg

Thursday

Bodo - Twente 5-2 after ET (6-4 on agg)

/Hogh 56 pen, Hilgers 90+2 (og), Wembangomo 90+4, Fet 111, Verschueren 114 (og) - Sjovold 26 (og)

FCSB - PAOK 2-0 (4-1 on agg)

/Cisotti 30, Miculescu 81/

Galatasaray - AZ Alkmaar 2-2 (3-6 on agg)

/Osimhen 56, Sallai 70 - Maikuma 42, Kasius 55/

Roma - Porto 3-2 (4-3 on agg)

/Dybala 35, 39, Pisilli 83 - A

Ajax - St. Gilloise 1-2 after ET (3-2 on agg)

/Taylor 93 pen - Mac Allister 16, David 28 pen/

Anderlecht - Fenerbahce 2-2 (2-5 on agg)

/Vazquez 19, 55 - En-Nesyri 4, Akcicek 63/

Plzen - Ferencvaros 3-0 (3-1 on agg)

/Jemelka 27, Sulc 35, Durosinmi 38/

Sociedad - Midtjylland 5-2 (7-3 on agg)

/Mendez 5, Sucic 18, 45+1, Oyarzabal 73 pen, Oskarsson 90 - Buksa 24 pen, Osorio 38/