Fenerbahçe, going into this encounter, had not won any European match at home in five consecutive outings — drawing four 1-1 and losing one 1-1. The Canaries therefore maintained the tradition of not winning at home on Thursday.
This is football and so it is win, lose or draw. But French Ligue 1 leader scoring the equalizer in the last seconds of the game was what the Fener coach, players, fans and administrators just could not bear.
Fenerbahçe was leading 2-0 in the 82nd minute, that is, eight minutes before the end of regulation time, after winger Caner Erkin scored with a powerful left-foot shot in the 28th and captain-playmaker Alex de Souza headed home a cross by Mehmet Topal in the 57th.
But eight minutes can be a very long time in football. And so when France midfielder Mathieu Valbuena scored in the 83rd, it was a sign of things to come. And when Marseille-born Ghana striker Andre Ayew headed home a corner in the fourth minute of stoppage time (94th), the referee almost immediately blew the final whistle and it was all over.
Fenerbahçe therefore dropped two precious points that may come back to haunt them later in this group. However, the result reiterated the unpredictability of football. Simply put, it ain’t over till it’s over.
“We were on the verge of a much-needed victory to boost morale, unity and togetherness on the team,” Fenerbahçe coach Aykut Kocaman lamented after the match. “But it was not to be. This is football and nothing can be done about it,” he added.
Greek Cypriot side AEL Limassol held Germany’s Borussia Mönchengladbach to a goalless draw in the other Group C clash, meaning all the teams in this group have a point apiece.
Spurs draw with Lazio, Atletico win
Elsewhere, Tottenham had two goals disallowed in a 0-0 draw at home to Serie A joint leader Lazio, while defending champion Atletico Madrid cruised to a 3-0 win at Hapoel Tel Aviv.
United States international Clint Dempsey had a goal ruled out for offside halfway through the first period, before Steven Caulker saw his header struck off for his push on Lazio’s Stefano Mauri.
Dempsey disagreed with the referee’s decision, which prevented him from scoring his first goal for the Spurs since signing from Fulham on the Aug. 31 deadline day.
Alvaro Gonzalez hit the post in the first half for Lazio, which failed to win for the first time this season.
In Israel, Cristian Rodriguez, Diego Costa and Raul Garcia all scored as Atletico made easy work of Hapoel despite playing without star striker Radamel Falcao, who was rested for the Group B opener.
Three-time winner Liverpool beat the Young Boys 5-3 in a thrilling match in Switzerland and Inter Milan needed a last-minute equalizer to draw 2-2 at home with Rubin Kazan.
Substitute Jonjo Shelvey scored Liverpool’s fourth goal only 10 minutes after coming off the bench, before sealing the result two minutes from time. Teenager Andre Wisdom scored Liverpool’s second on his debut, after an own goal by Juhani Ojala had given the Premier League side an early lead.
Sebastian Coates added Liverpool’s other goal in his first European match. Raphael Nuzzolo, Ojala and Gonzalo Zarate found the net for the Young Boys, which briefly led in the second half.
Inter Milan, another club seeking a fourth title, needed a stoppage-time goal as it twice came from behind against Rubin. The Russian side took a shock lead when Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic saved Bibras Natkho’s spot-kick, only for the rebound to fall to Aleksandr Ryazantsev, who lashed it home.
Teenager Marko Livaja leveled with his first goal for Inter but Salomon Rondon looked to have given Rubin a historic win at San Siro before Yuto Nagatomo’s equalizer.
Udinese also snatched a 1-1 draw at the very end, Antonio Di Natale’s stoppage-time strike rescuing a point for the Serie A side against big-spending Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.
Lacina Traore had given Anzhi a halftime lead.
Meanwhile, last season’s runner-up Athletic Bilbao was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Hapoel Kiryat Shmona.
Adrian Rochet gave the Israeli champion a surprise lead in the 14th minute but Markel Susaeta leveled five minutes from halftime.
Striker Fernando Llorente was introduced at the start of the second half to loud boos from the home fans, who are unhappy with his decision to seek a move in January.
Athletic lost early ground in Group I, after Lyon beat Sparta Prague 2-1.
Napoli cruised to a 4-0 win over AIK Stockholm, with Edu Vargas scoring a hat-trick — his first goals for the Italian club.
