Anderlecht can forget European dream

GAMES Anderlecht's hopes of advancing in European competition were dashed following a 3-0 defeat to Fenerbahçe, marking the probable end of their European campaign. The Turkish side established an early lead amidst several controversial moments, while Anderlecht struggled to create significant scoring opportunities throughout the match. Coach David Hubert opted to start with key players Verschaeren, Hazard, and Dolberg on the bench due to minor injuries and illness. Fenerbahçe nearly scored within the first ten minutes, hitting the crossbar, but the referee incorrectly awarded a corner from which Tadic opened the scoring.

The Belgian team faced relentless pressure from the Turkish side and their passionate supporters. As the match progressed, Anderlecht finally posed a threat midway through the first half when Adryelson's header was saved by the Fenerbahçe goalkeeper. A clear penalty for handball against Fred was reviewed by VAR but controversially dismissed.

Just before halftime, Fenerbahçe doubled their lead. A punch with the elbow on Degreef was signaled by the linesman, but the referee again controversially dismissed it. The home side took advantage and scored. 2-0 at half time; Anderlecht had the referee to thank for.

With hope fading, Anderlecht's situation worsened shortly after the hour mark when En-Nesyri scored the third goal with a powerful header.

Despite a late push from Hubert, who introduced Dolberg, Hazard, and Edozie to invigorate the attack, Anderlecht managed only a single noteworthy shot from Huerta, which posed little challenge to the Turkish goalkeeper.

Looking ahead, Anderlecht faces a tough task to secure a place in the knockout stages.

Source: © Internal source