Two draws, and everything is still up in the air regarding qualification in the Fenerbahçe–Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb–Viking matches!
In Istanbul, Fenerbahçe found themselves trailing, but Lyon managed to equalize early in the second half, with the 1-1 draw meaning that everything will be decided in France in next week’s second leg.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The match was evenly balanced in the opening minutes, with both teams canceling each other out and focusing more on their defensive duties, while Lyon was the one to… strike first, “silencing” Fenerbahçe’s home crowd in the 40th minute, when Tolisso sent in a cross and Opeta opened the scoring with a header.
However, Fenerbahçe found the equalizer right at the start of the second half (47’), with Greenwood receiving the ball inside the box and scoring with a superb finish while surrounded by three defenders! The second half was also evenly matched, with Fenerbahçe having the best chance to secure the win in the 83rd minute, when Nene hit the crossbar.
The match between Dinamo Zagreb and Viking also ended in a draw, with the Croatians taking a 2-0 lead in the 10th minute, but the Norwegian champions fought back to equalize for a final score of 2-2!
Dinamo came out strong and was fortunate to take the lead as early as the 6th minute of the match, when, following a sustained attack in front of the Norwegians’ goal, Belio scored with a powerful diagonal shot, and just four minutes later (10’) they found their second goal, courtesy of Lisica following a quick counterattack!
Viking responded and pulled one back in the 26th minute, following a defensive clearance error by the home team and a superb finish by Christiansen off a brilliant through ball from Moi, and, having fully shaken off the shock of the 2-0 deficit, they equalized in the 39th minute when Tripic fired a precise shot from the side. Dinamo dominated the second half, creating plenty of chances, but failed to “convert” them into goals and will now travel to Norway to fight for a spot in the next round.
*photo source: KYPE
