Fener through, as Partizan go down fighting

Partizan were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League 3rd round stage by Fenerbahce in Istanbul last night. Despite a battling performance from Slavisa Jokanovic’s men, the Turkish champions proved just too strong, winning 2-1 on the night to edge through 4-3 on aggregate. Fener through, as Partizan go down fighting To their enormous credit, the visitors appeared relatively unfazed by the hotbed that is the Sukru Saracoglu stadium, where many more prestigious footballing names have come a cropper in the past, and more than matched their illustrious opponents in the first 20 minutes. However, with 28 minutes on the clock, Fenerbahce got the breakthrough their fans craved. Guiza knocked on a long ball to Ugur who sent in a deep cross from the left. Fejsa was slow to react, and Senturk was able to get his head to the ball and divert it goalwards. Goalkeeper Bozovic, scurrying back across his line, could only watch in horror as the ball slithered under his body for the opener. The remainder of the first half continued in much the same vein as the first 30 minutes, with both sides limited to speculative attempts from long distance. Four minutes after the break, Luis Aragones’s men almost doubled their lead when, after another Fejsa mistake, Guiza crossed to Kazim seven yards out with the goal at his mercy, only for the London-born striker to balloon the ball over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Bozovic narrowly denied Guiza, turning his shot away for the corner. By this time, the visitors’ backs were very much up against the wall, and in 57 minutes, the Turks all but sealed the game when Alex headed home an Guiza cross from the right to round off an attractive counter-attack. Finally though, this setback seemed to spur the Belgrade side forward, and they were extremely unfortunate to be denied a clear goal, when Lugano in the Fenerbahce defense lobbed his own keeper to apparently halve the deficit. However, the Spanish referee ruled that Bogunovic had been in an offside position when Zuka had played the initial through ball, and the goal was chalked off. This could only have compounded Partizan’s sense of injustice, having been the victims of some highly dubious refereeing decisions in the first leg in Belgrade. Nevertheless, with 14 minutes to go, the Serbian champions threw themselves a lifeline. Lazic won a free-kick 20 meters out, and the same player stepped up to send a delightful curling shot past the despairing clutches of Demirel in the Fener goal. For the first time that evening, the home fans were stunned into silence, as Partizan sensed an equaliser and a chance to send the match into extra-time. However, despite the home goal coming under siege in the last 10 minutes, with Lazic, Diarra, and Djordjevic all going close, the Turks were able to hang on to book themselves a berth in the Champions League proper. For Partizan, they at least have the consolation of a place in the first round of the UEFA Cup, although that will seem like small comfort right now. Maldonado, Moreira tussle for the ball (Beta)

Fener through, as Partizan go down fighting

To their enormous credit, the visitors appeared relatively unfazed by the hotbed that is the Sukru Saracoglu stadium, where many more prestigious footballing names have come a cropper in the past, and more than matched their illustrious opponents in the first 20 minutes.

However, with 28 minutes on the clock, Fenerbahce got the breakthrough their fans craved. Guiza knocked on a long ball to Ugur who sent in a deep cross from the left. Fejsa was slow to react, and Senturk was able to get his head to the ball and divert it goalwards. Goalkeeper Božović, scurrying back across his line, could only watch in horror as the ball slithered under his body for the opener.

The remainder of the first half continued in much the same vein as the first 30 minutes, with both sides limited to speculative attempts from long distance.

Four minutes after the break, Luis Aragones’s men almost doubled their lead when, after another Fejsa mistake, Guiza crossed to Kazim seven yards out with the goal at his mercy, only for the London-born striker to balloon the ball over the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Božović narrowly denied Guiza, turning his shot away for the corner.

By this time, the visitors’ backs were very much up against the wall, and in 57 minutes, the Turks all but sealed the game when Alex headed home an Guiza cross from the right to round off an attractive counter-attack.

Finally though, this setback seemed to spur the Belgrade side forward, and they were extremely unfortunate to be denied a clear goal, when Lugano in the Fenerbahce defense lobbed his own keeper to apparently halve the deficit. However, the Spanish referee ruled that Bogunović had been in an offside position when Zuka had played the initial through ball, and the goal was chalked off.

This could only have compounded Partizan’s sense of injustice, having been the victims of some highly dubious refereeing decisions in the first leg in Belgrade.

Nevertheless, with 14 minutes to go, the Serbian champions threw themselves a lifeline. Lazić won a free-kick 20 meters out, and the same player stepped up to send a delightful curling shot past the despairing clutches of Demirel in the Fener goal.

For the first time that evening, the home fans were stunned into silence, as Partizan sensed an equaliser and a chance to send the match into extra-time.

However, despite the home goal coming under siege in the last 10 minutes, with Lazić, Diarra, and Đorđević all going close, the Turks were able to hang on to book themselves a berth in the Champions League proper.

For Partizan, they at least have the consolation of a place in the first round of the UEFA Cup, although that will seem like small comfort right now.