Osayi-Samuel sees red as Fenerbahce edge Union St. Gilloise
Nigeria defender Bright Osayi-Samuel was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct as José Mourinho tasted victory in his first UEFA Europa League (UEL) game as Fenerbahçe manager, with his side defeating Union St. Gilloise 2-1 at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on Thursday night.
If Fenerbahçe were to win, they needed to produce a much-improved performance from the one that saw them lose to bitter rivals Galatasaray at the weekend to get anything from the game. However, that defeat appeared to be playing on Fener’s mind early on, as they struggled to contain their guests. Inside the opening two minutes, Jaden Oosterwolde needed to produce a last-gasp interception and clearance to prevent Noah Sadiki from tapping into an empty net, while Franjo Ivanović twice forced Dominik Livaković into action.
Mourinho’s men improved as the half progressed though, and they ultimately landed the first blow of the encounter. Çağlar Söyüncü was the unlikely goalscorer, scooping Rodrigo Becão’s knockdown over St. Gilloise goalkeeper Anthony Moris from close range. The Belgian outfit pushed forward in response and continued to look dangerous, but clear-cut chances were non-existent prior to the HT whistle.
Immediately after the restart, Sarı Kanaryalar went in search of a second that would have given them extra breathing space, with Youssef En-Nesyri the most likely scorer. He first fired over the bar from a dangerous position inside the penalty area, before seeing a header cleared off the line by Charles Vanhoutte. The visitors, meanwhile, saw a Christian Burgess header sail beyond the post, before efforts from Sadiki and Alessio Castro-Montes were easily held by Livaković.
En-Nesyri will have wondered how he hadn’t got himself on the scoresheet when he wasted another golden opportunity, this time heading straight when unmarked, but the Moroccan was soon involved in a key moment that went some way to deciding the outcome. As the centre-forward bore down on goal, he was tripped on the edge of the box by last man Kevin Mac Allister, who was subsequently sent off for his troubles. The free kick came to nothing, and Fenerbahçe initially ran down the clock rather comfortably. And they even had a second to celebrate – albeit in fortuitous circumstances, when Burgess bundled into his own net after Moris had denied Bright Osayi-Samuel.
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