José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe took a big step toward the Europa League Round of 16 with a commanding 3-0 win over Anderlecht in the first leg at the Ülker Stadium Şükrü Saracoğlu in Istanbul.
The victory puts Mourinho’s side in firm control of the tie, leaving Anderlecht with an almost impossible task in the second leg.
The Yellow Canaries started strong and took the lead just 11 minutes in through captain Dusan Tadic. The former Southampton midfielder nodded home to open the scoring after a brilliant cross from Filip Kostić.
Anderlecht tried to fight back, but their hopes were crushed just before halftime when Edin Džeko doubled Fenerbahçe’s lead.
The home side struck again early in the second half, with Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri making it 3-0 and all but sealing Fenerbahçe’s place in the next round.
Fenerbahçe are now on an impressive unbeaten run, stretching their streak to 13 official matches (10 wins, 3 draws). Their home form has been dominant, winning 9 of their last 11 games in Istanbul.
With the second leg in Belgium next week, even the most optimistic Anderlecht fans will struggle to see a way back after this first-leg thrashing. If they advance, Fenerbahçe will face either Greece’s Olympiakos or Scotland’s Rangers in the next round.
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