At the Antalya Stadyumu, Fenerbahçe met Antalyaspor under the leadership of Fenerbahce legend Alex de Souza in Matchday 7 of the Süper Lig. Coach José Mourinho’s approach was clear: a victory was essential to close the gap to the top of the table and thus underline their championship ambitions. Outstanding scorer Dušan Tadić and an own goal from the home team ensured Fenerbahçe an important victory.
Sofyan Amrabat celebrates debut in Süper Lig starting XI
The first half started with high intensity, with both teams fighting for control of the match. Antalyaspor also tried hard to pick up points that evening and showed full commitment from the start. Fenerbahçe started with almost the same starting XI as in the derby against Galatasaray. Only Sofyan Amrabat replaced Fred in defensive midfield and celebrated his debut in the starting XI.
Mert Müldür surprised the Antalyaspor defense with a sharp cross in the second minute of the match. Goalkeeper Kenan Pirić, who was running out, collided with defender Mert Yılmaz. In the chaos, Szymański released the ball completely into the goal area, but struggled to control it properly. Instead of pushing it over the line, Veysel Sari pushed the ball out of the danger zone a hair’s breadth from the goal line. It remained 0-0!
In the 12th minute of the match, Jakub Kaluzinski gathered courage and shot from 25 meters. The ball was shot well and Djiku also deflected it unfortunately. The ball hit the post and the stadium held its breath – an extremely close scene that almost gave Antalyaspor the lead.
As the half progressed, Fenerbahce’s initial dominance faded and the game transformed into a competitive game with chances for both teams.
Fenerbahçe attempted to actively control the game and used rapid advances, mainly through the dynamic Allan Saint-Maximin, to put themselves in dangerous positions. His quick runs and dribbling repeatedly put Antalyaspor’s defense in trouble. But there was a lack of precision in the final third of the pitch and crucial passes or finishes were too imprecise to achieve the desired goal.
Shortly before half-time, Fenerbahçe had a great opportunity to take the lead. After a perfectly timed pass from Dušan Tadić, Edin Džeko found himself in a promising position. Antalyaspor goalkeeper Kenan Pirić, who had an exceptional performance that evening, managed to save his shot and prevent his team from falling behind.
Mourinho unpacks his laptop – Fenerbahce cracks the tireless Antalyaspor!
At the start of the second half, Fenerbahçe clearly had a preponderance of chances, but continued to carelessly squander several opportunities.
In the 63rd minute of play, the moment had finally come. After Szymański recovered the ball, Fred, who reacted quickly, made a smart pass to the oncoming Tadic. He took advantage of his 1v1 situation and beat Kenan Pirić with a precise shot in the short right corner to make the score 1-0!
In the 79th minute of play, José Mourinho curiously placed his laptop in front of the camera on the pitch to alert the referee of an alleged bad decision. This action was recognized by the referee with a yellow card for the Portuguese. Then in the 81st minute of the match, Fenerbahçe made it 2-0! Substitute Kostić broke through from the left and crossed precisely into the penalty area to serve En-Nesyri. But the ball unfortunately bounced off the head of Antalyaspor defender Thalisson in his own goal and sealed the outcome of the evening.
With this important victory, Fenerbahçe not only got three valuable points in the fight for the championship, but also a good dose of self-confidence for the next Europa League match against FC Twente Enschede on Thursday. Fans can expect an exciting duel!
