Fenerbahçe delivered the response their fans demanded, but not the miracle they needed.
A 2-1 away victory over Nottingham Forest at City Ground showed character, intensity and belief. Yet the heavy 3-0 defeat in Istanbul a week earlier proved too steep a mountain to climb, ending Fenerbahçe’s UEFA Europa League campaign at the last-16 playoff stage.
From the opening minutes, Fenerbahçe pressed high and attacked with urgency. They looked like a side determined to rewrite the script.
The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute. Kerem Aktürkoğlu timed his run perfectly and finished with conviction to silence the home crowd. It was a goal born of pressure and purpose.
Fenerbahçe controlled long spells of the first half, creating consecutive chances but lacking the final touch that might have turned the tie fully on its head before the break.
Aktürkoğlu keeps the fire alive
The second half began with renewed hope.
In the 48th minute, Aktürkoğlu stepped up and converted from the penalty spot to make it 2-0 on the night. The aggregate score narrowed to 3-2. For a brief spell, Forest looked rattled and the comeback felt possible.
But European ties often hinge on moments. In the 68th minute, Callum Hudson-Odoi struck for the hosts, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and restoring Forest’s aggregate cushion. The goal forced Fenerbahçe to chase two more.
They pushed numbers forward. They fought for every second ball. They attacked until the final whistle. The third goal never arrived.
Aktürkoğlu’s European imprint
If there was one constant throughout the campaign, it was Aktürkoğlu.
The 27-year-old completed his ninth Europa League appearance, all as a starter, and raised his tally to six goals in the competition. He was responsible for half of Fenerbahçe’s 12 goals in this season’s Europa League run.
He scored twice against Nice and Nottingham Forest, and once each against Stuttgart and Brann. Including domestic competitions, he has reached 11 goals this season.
His six-goal European return places him alongside Tuncay Şanlı and İrfan Can Kahveci as one of only three Turkish players to score six goals in a single European season for Fenerbahçe.
Pain and promise
The night carried both setbacks and milestones.
Dorgeles Nene, one of the most used players in the campaign, suffered an early knock. He tried to continue after going down in the 18th minute but was eventually withdrawn at halftime, replaced by Nelson Semedo.
There was also a glimpse of the future. Seventeen-year-old Alaettin Ekici made his European debut in the 76th minute, gaining valuable experience on a demanding stage.
Early in the match, play was briefly halted after objects were thrown onto the pitch, adding tension to an already charged atmosphere.
Fenerbahçe’s season in Europe began in the Champions League third qualifying round, where they eliminated Feyenoord before falling to Benfica in the playoff round and dropping into the Europa League.
In the league phase, they gathered 12 points from eight matches, finishing 19th with three wins, three draws and two defeats. Victories over Nice and Stuttgart stood out, while losses to Dinamo Zagreb and Aston Villa left them with little margin for error.
The Nottingham match marked the club’s 300th fixture in European competitions. It was their 118th victory. Across those matches, they have scored 409 goals and conceded 423.
DAILYSABAH
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