Fenerbahce suffered a 3-1 defeat against Rangers in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 at Ulker Stadium in Istanbul on Thursday night.
The match began with an early goal from Rangers’ forward Dessers, who capitalized on a defensive error by Turkish team to put the visitors ahead in the 6th minute. Fenerbahce’s woes continued as Caglar Soyuncu was forced off due to injury in the 17th minute, replaced by Alexander Djiku.
Despite a strong effort, Fenerbahce managed to equalize in the 30th minute when Djiku headed in a corner from Szymanski. However, Rangers regained the lead just before halftime with a goal from Cerny, making it 2-1.
The second half saw Fenerbahce introduce Anderson Talisca in an attempt to turn the tide, but Rangers’ defense held firm. A potential third goal for Rangers was disallowed by VAR for offside in the 51st minute.
However, Dessers struck again in the 58th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out once more by VAR.
Fenerbahce’s Anderson Talisca received a yellow card in the 67th minute, adding to the home side’s frustrations. Despite their efforts, Fenerbahce was unable to find an equalizer, and the match ended 3-1 in favor of Rangers.
The result leaves Fenerbahce with a challenging task in the second leg in Scotland next week, where they will need to overturn the deficit to advance to the quarterfinals.
