José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe team defeated Union St. Gilloise 2-1 at the �\ükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on Thursday night, marking his first UEFA Europa League (UEL) success. Nigerian defender Bright Osayi-Samuel was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Fenerbahçe needed to perform far better than their performance from the previous weekend, when they were defeated by fierce rivals Galatasaray, if they were to win. But since they were having trouble keeping their visitors within, Fener seemed to be thinking back to that loss.
But as the half went on, Mourinho’s team got better, and they finally struck the opening blow of the match. The unexpected goal scorer was Çağlar Söyüncü, who deftly lifted Rodrigo Becão’s knockdown past St. Gilloise goalie Anthony Moris from close range. In response, the Belgian team moved forward and looked even more formidable, but there were no obvious opportunities before the HT whistle.
The most likely goal scorer was Youssef En-Nesyri, and Sarı Kanaryalar immediately searched for a second that would have given them more breathing room. Before Charles Vanhoutte’s header was cleared off the line, he shot over the crossbar from a perilous position inside the penalty area. Alessio Castro-Montes and Sadiki’s attempts were easily stopped by Livaković, but the visitors still saw a header from Christian Burgess flutter beyond the post.
When he missed yet another excellent opportunity, headed straight when unmarked, En-Nesyri probably wondered why he hadn’t found the scoreboard. However, the Moroccan player was shortly involved in a crucial sequence that ultimately determined the result. The center forward was about to score when Kevin Mac Allister, the last man, tripped him on the edge of the box. Mac Allister was sent off as a result. The free kick was ineffective, and Fenerbahçe originally passed the time relatively easily. And when Burgess bundled into his own net after Moris had denied Bright Osayi-Samuel, they even had another chance to celebrate, although in fortunate circumstances.
