This Thursday evening, in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16, Anderlecht hosted Fenerbahçe at Lotto Park. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, a result that allowed Fenerbahçe to qualify for the Round of 16 thanks to their commanding 3-0 victory in the first leg.
In the 4th minute, Fenerbahçe took the lead after a defensive error from Anderlecht. Defender Hey made a poor back pass, which Dzeko intercepted before perfectly setting up En-Nesyri, who only had to score to open the scoring. This goal marked En-Nesyri’s third consecutive goal in the Europa League, following his strikes against FC Midtjylland and in the first leg against Anderlecht. It was his sixth goal in the competition in just ten matches.
In the second half, Anderlecht responded. Luis Vázquez equalized in the 19th minute before putting his team ahead in the 55th minute with a brace. However, Fenerbahçe quickly equalized with a goal from Yusuf Akçiçek in the 63rd minute. Despite constant pressure from Anderlecht, neither team managed to score again, resulting in a 2-2 draw.
For this return leg, José Mourinho once again opted to start Sofiane Amrabat in central defense as part of a back three. Amrabat played the full match, delivering a solid defensive performance. Up front, Youssef En-Nesyri started and scored but was replaced in the 67th minute. On the Anderlecht side, Ali Maamar was also a starter and played the entire match.
Thus, despite the draw, Fenerbahçe advances to the next round, while Anderlecht is eliminated from the competition.
