Fenerbahçe were unceremoniously humbled by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of La Liga strugglers Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League last of 16 match despite heading to the tie with aplomb at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium Thursday.
The Yellow Canaries, in the opening minutes of the game, began with fierce intensity and gradually raised the spirit as the match progressed.
In the 7th minute, Ferdi Kadıoğlu saw his attempt thwarted by the heroics of Sevilla's goalkeeper, Marko Dmitrovic, while just five minutes later Ener Valencia was agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock, only to be denied once more by the Serbian shot-stopper.
Just moments after his efforts were thwarted, Valencia was quick to seize the opportunity provided by Dmitrovic, who had strayed from his post, yet his distant attempt, unfortunately, sailed wide.
As if scripted, Joshua King attempted a spectacular effort around the 19th minute, but unfortunately, it sailed wide of the mark with Valencia arriving late for a low header.
Fenerbahçe's star goalkeeper Altay Nayındır was summoned to make an impressive save in the 22nd minute when Ivan Rakitic unleashed a sublime free kick on target.
From then, the Yellow Canaries were presented with multiple golden opportunities, yet Dmitrovic's dogged defense thwarted all.
The hosts had their own opportunities, but fate seemed to have other plans, for now at least. The deadlock was finally broken in the 55th minute when Rakitic deftly executed a spectacular dummy pass just outside Fenerbahçe's box, enabling substitute Joan Jordan to send an unstoppable, rippling shot, deflected by Willian Arao, past Bayındır and into the net.
Fenerbahçe's star forward, Valencia was so close to sending home an equalizer in the 69th and 71st minutes but Dmitrovic stretched himself enough to keep his efforts at bay.
Erik Lamela's exquisite 85th-minute effort sent the Yellow Canaries to their doom, leaving the Turkish side with faint hopes of overturning the deficit when they meet again next week in Kadiköy.
At the post-match press conference, Jorge Jesus, coach of Fenerbahçe, expressed his lamentation at the result, yet conveyed faith in his squad's potential to bounce back.
"It may not have been the score we were anticipating before the match, but the score was also deceiving. We put on a fantastic display of football in the first half, but we could not accurately assess the positions that we were entering. They bided their time and analyzed the two positions they had taken up before making a definitive decision," he said.
"It may be true that a 2-0 scoreline does not bode well for us ahead of the rematch, but we refuse to give up hope just yet. After all, Sevilla is a team of seasoned professionals, but we will put our best foot forward and give it our all," he added.
"Sevilla's unparalleled success in this tournament cannot be ignored – having secured the cup 6 times. Unfortunately, we conceded 2 goals; the first, because of a lapse in concentration during a set ball and the second, from a bouncing ball. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful for the return match," he concluded.
On Thursday of the coming week, the Yellow Canaries will welcome Sevilla, the team with the most Europa League titles, to recreate history from the 2007-08 season.
