Fenerbahce Need to Refocus ! Fenerbahce vs Benfica

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Fenerbahce has to refocus quickly ahead of their UEFA Europa League semi-final match against Benfica.

 Aykut Kocaman's Fenerbahce lost for the first time in 11 matches in all competitions on Sunday when they went down 2-0 away to Genclerbirligi in the Turkish Super League!

That put a huge dent to their title hopes in the Turkish Super League!


Thursday's match will be Fenerbahce's first appearance in the final four of a European continental competition and Kocaman will be stressing the importance of winning their home leg.

In the 12 UEFA Europa League semi-final matches since the competition's name was changed from the UEFA Cup, 10 have been won by the home side, suggesting that if Fenerbahce fail to defeat Benfica at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, they will probably miss out on a spot in the final.

Fenerbahce have been led by Brazilian midfielder Cristian Baroni and Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt in their run to the last four.

Baroni, in his fourth season with Fenerbahce, has three goals and three assists in the UEFA Europa League, while Kuyt (three goals, one assist) has also been important for Fenerbahce.

Former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles  is also expected to start in midfield, while  Joseph Yobo from Nigeria will be on defense.

Benfica will head to Turkey after a 2-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the Derby de Lisboa on Sunday.

Benfica are undefeated in the UEFA Europa League this season and last lost a match at the end of February when they were knocked out of the Portuguese League Cup on penalties by Sporting Braga.

 Aykut Kocaman will need to warn his defense about Argentine midfielder Eduardo Salvio, who has scored three goals in Benfica's past four matches, including the opener against Sporting.

Meanwhile, Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus will hope his players are inspired by the only previous encounter between the Portuguese club and Fenerbahce.

In the 1975/76 European Cup, Benfica thumped Fenerbahce 7-0 in Lisbon and then held on for a 7-1 aggregate victory after a narrow defeat in the second leg in Turkey.

The match will be broadcast live  in the United  States  by Foxsoccer2go.com

Recent form

Fenerbahce: WDWDL

Benfica: WWWDW

Possible lineups

Fenerbahce: Demirel; Korkmaz, Yobo, Ziegler, Gonul; Meireles, Baroni, Ucan, Erkin; Kuyt, Webo

Benfica: Artur; Almeida, Garay, Luisao, Melgarejo; Gaitan, Matic, Perez, Salvio; Lima, John

Fenerbahce qualified for semi-finals

Fenerbahce qualified for semi-finals
Lazio: 1 - Fenerbahce: 1

Turkey's Fenerbahce football team qualified for semi-finals in the UEFA Europa League after a 1-1 draw in Rome that earned the Istanbul side a 3-1 win on aggregate against Italy's Lazio in the second leg of a quarter-final game.

Stadium: Rome Olympic Stadium
Referees: Pavel Kralovec (Czech Republic), Roman Slysko (Slovakia), Martin Wilczek (Czech Republic)
Lazio: Marchetti, Biava, Ciani, Cana, Radu, Hernanes, Ledesma, Lulic, Candreva, Ederson, Kozak
Fenerbahce: Volkan Demirel, Gokhan Gonul, Yobo, Egemen Korkmaz, Ziegler, Selcuk Sahin, Meireles, Kuyt, Cristian, Caner Erkin, Webo
Scorers: min 60 Lulic (Lazio), min 73 Caner Erkin (Fenerbahce)

Source : AA News Agency

First semi-final is very close for Fenerbahce

Fenerbahce is in very good position to advance to the semi finals for the first time !

After beating Lazio at home 2-0 , Fenerbahce will travel to Rome to play Lazio on Thursday.

Because of  Lazoio's suspension by UEFA  second leg match will be played behind close doors.


Lazio, beaten UEFA Cup finalists in 1998, are unbeaten at home in the competition this season but will be playing their second home match behind closed doors as a punishment for the poor behavior of their fans, which has marred their campaign.

Fenerbahce, whose most recent appearance in a European quarter-final ended in defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League five years ago, have lost on all six previous visits to Italy.

"I think playing without supporters is a disadvantage for any footballer, because you want to play for the supporters," Fenerbahce forward Dirk Kuyt said.

Dirk Kuyt and Pierre Webo will be Fenerbahce's top guns on Thursday against Lazio ....

Fenerbahce's Sow, will not be on the pitch due to injuries.

Galatasaray vs Real Madrid 3:2 HIGHLIGHTS

Galatasaray vs Real Madrid 3:2 HIGHLIGHTS

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyvieh_galatasaray-vs-real-madrid-3-2-highlights_sport#.UWT8oqJJOAg

Fatih Terim : " I believed we were going to achieved the comeback !"

Galatasaray's coach Fatih Terim reacts during their Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match against Real Madrid in Istanbul April 9, 2013. REUTERS/





What a second half  against Real Madrid from Galatasaray team...

After falling  a goal behind in the first half , Galatasaray was totally different team in the second half..

Scoring back to to back three goals in the second half of the match made the match very interesting

Until Ronaldo, scored his and Real Madrid's second goal at the very end of the match!

Fatih Terim's boy's put up hell of fight in the second half....

Players like Wesley Sneijder and Drogba shined in the second half....

At the end Galatasaray won the match 3-2 but because of the bad result in the first match they could not advance to the semi-finals in the Champions League,...

But, a good show in the second half , with Eboue , Sneijder and Drogba scoring , gave some thing to smile for Galatasaray fans and Turkish football fans too!

Fatih Terim said "
 "I started to think of going through to the semifinals. It had not been the case up until that moment. 

 Especially just after Drogba's disallowed goal, that was the the moment when we really believed it."

Fatih Terim also thank the fans and also thank to Mourinho who came in to the Galatasaray locker rooms to thank players for a really good match.

He went on to say" When I took this job, I promised to create good and better Galatasaray, Today I saw a good and very talented  Galatasaray team out there, "

"That is why I am so happy about keeping and doing my promise to the Galatasaray fans "

Fatih Terim: "Anything is possible in football"

Fatih Terim  still have a faith ........


Galatasaray coach  Fatih Terim still say it is not over until it is over!

"Anything is possible in football, but when you are playing against Real Madrid things are not so easy," Terim said during yesterday's  press conference  He wen on the say  "Galatasaray will try everything. I am sure about the ambition and enthusiasm of my players. We have prepared ourselves for any kind of result."


Terim said, Real Madrid is one of the best team in the world, and Mourinho is one of the best coach and he is my friend....

He also said, he is very happy what Galatasaray achieved , Galatasaray fans enjoy this ride and tonights match !

"To play against Real Madrid, you have to come this far ,  and we are happy to come this far "


Galatasaray will be without Burak Yilmaz and defender Dany.

Possible Lineups

Galatasaray (4-3-1-2): Fernando Muslera; Albert Riera, Hakan Balta, Semih Kaya, Emmanuel Eboué; Selcuk Inan, Felipe Melo, Hamit Altintop; Wesley Sneijder; Didier Drogba, Johan Elmander

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Diego López; Fabio Coentrao; Raphael Varane, Raul Albiol, Michael Essien; Luka Modric, Sami Khedira; Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria; Karim Benzema.

Fenerbahce 2- Lazio 0

Fenerbahçe dominated its Europa League quarterfinal first leg tie against Italian rivals Lazio on April 4, winning 2-0 in front of its home fans at the Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium in Istanbul.

Fenerbahçe players were desperately unlucky to hit the woodwork on two occasions, but Cameroon international striker Pierre Webo eventually put Fener into the lead with an opening goal from the penalty spot in the 78th minute. Former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt doubled the score in the dying minutes of the game with a shot from inside Lazio’s area.

The Italians played nearly the entire second half with 10 men, after Nigerian midfielder Ogenyo Onazi was sent off in the 47th minute.

The host could have found the precious goal much earlier, as they came very close to opening the scoring in the 17th minute, when Gökhan Gönül forced Lazio defender Mickael Ciani into committing an error inside his own area. The ball rolled into the direction of Moussa Sow who found himself unmarked with only Lazio’s goalkeeper Federico Marchetti to beat, but Marchetti denied the potent man of the moment by touching the ball onto the post.

Fenerbahçe dominated possession throughout the match, but Lazio’s disciplined defending left few open spaces for the attacking duo of Sow-Webo.

The second half began with drama after the Romans went down to 10 men, and from that point on Fenerbahçe increased the pressure and started threatening. Two minutes after the sending off, Portuguese star Raul Meireles fired a missile just outside the area, beating the keeper but again hitting the post.

Fenerbahçe’s pressure finally bore fruit when defender Lazio Radu handled the ball inside his area. Webo converted the resultant penalty kick and sent the home crowd into raptures.

Marchetti was then forced to save a dangerous shot from Reto Ziegler in the 88th minute, and the game looked to be drawing to a close. However, in the 90th minute, Kuyt had other ideas, scoring what could ultimately prove to be a crucial goal.

Second leg match will be played in Rome on April 11th , behind close doors .

Source: Hurriyet Daily