In a surprising turn of events, Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe suffered a 2-1 defeat against Lille in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round on August 6, 2024. The match, played at the Hainaut Stadium in Valenciennes, France, saw Lille take an early lead through Tiago Santos in the 12th minute.Fenerbahçe managed to equalize in the 79th minute with a well-executed free kick from İrfan Can Kahveci. However, their hopes were dashed when Lille’s Edon Zhegrova scored the winning goal in stoppage time (90+1 minute), securing a crucial advantage for the French side.Despite the loss, Fenerbahçe’s goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic had a standout performance, preventing several scoring opportunities. New signings Allan Saint-Maximin started the match, while Youssef En-Nesyri came on as a substitute in the 79th minute.The defeat puts Mourinho’s team in a difficult position, needing to score at least two goals without conceding in the return leg to advance. As Lille’s coach Bruno Genesio noted, ‘We are happy with the result, but we know that the return match will be difficult’.The return leg is scheduled for August 13 in Istanbul, where Fenerbahçe will face the challenge of overturning the deficit in front of their home crowd. The winner of this tie will face either Union Saint-Gilloise or Slavia Prague in the play-off round.
Key points
- Fenerbahçe lost 2-1 to Lille in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round.
- İrfan Can Kahveci scored Fenerbahçe’s only goal, while Lille’s goals came from Tiago Santos and Edon Zhegrova.
- The return leg will be played on August 13 in Istanbul, with Fenerbahçe needing to overcome the deficit to advance.
Contradictions👾One source reported a 1-1 draw, which contradicts the majority of sources stating a 2-1 victory for Lille.
