On Thursday evening, Sporting traveled to Istanbul for the first leg of the Europa League play-offs. Lucas Hey, Adryelson, and César Huerta were eligible for the European competition for the first time and were included in the starting eleven. In the intense atmosphere of Fenerbahçe’s stadium, the Mauves suffered a clear 3-0 defeat.
The home team immediately put pressure on our defense. After ten minutes, a deflected shot from Yusuf Akçiçek hit the crossbar following a corner kick. Fenerbahçe was awarded another corner. From this set piece, Dušan Tadić headed the ball into the net for 1-0 after a deflection by Yusuf Akçiçek. Moments later, Colin Coosemans was forced to intervene on an attempt by the Brazilian Fred, though Youssef En-Nesyri was already flagged offside. Midway through the first half, RSCA responded for the first time. Following a corner kick, goalkeeper Irfan Can Egribayat saved a header from Adryelson. The VAR then took a long time to analyze a possible handball by Fred but found no infringement. After more than half an hour, both Bright Osayi-Samuel and Tristan Degreef missed the target with their attempts. Just before halftime, Colin Coosemans was powerless against a double effort from Edin Džeko: 2-0 at the break, despite a final chance for Killian Sardella in the extra time.
Youssef En-Nesyri started the second half with an early shot at Colin Coosemans, and moments later, the Moroccan striker doubled his tally with a well-placed shot to make it 3-0. Shortly after, the Turkish side created two more great chances, with the second effort hitting the post. After an hour of play, Luis Vazquez and Mario Stroeykens made way for Kasper Dolberg and Thorgan Hazard. Twenty minutes before full time, a shot from César Huerta, set up by Théo Leoni, was saved by goalkeeper Irfan Can Egribayat. Shortly after, a promising attempt from Théo Leoni also missed the target. With fifteen minutes remaining, Colin Coosemans had to make an excellent save on a powerful strike from Filip Kostić that was heading for the top corner. José Mourinho’s men then controlled the remainder of the match and will travel to Lotto Park next Thursday with a comfortable three-goal lead.
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