Sportsupdated 55m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 22 January 2017Fenerbahçe Complete 3-2 Comeback Over Liverpool At Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
5 Western Mainstream1 Western AlternativePhoto: Sakhalinio, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Fenerbahçe beat Liverpool 3-2 in Istanbul to complete comeback. Liverpool led twice; Fenerbahçe equalized through Greenwood, Brown, Muriqi.
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Two leads, one collapse
Liverpool twice went ahead against Fenerbahçe at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul, but the hosts completed a 3-2 comeback to hand Andoni Iraola's side their first defeat of their European campaign. Trey Nyoni scored Liverpool's opener, and Alexander Isak restored the lead after 69 minutes, yet Mason Greenwood, Archie Brown, and Vedat Muriqi struck back for Fenerbahçe. Iraola said the goals they conceded were "cheap" and "messy," and he pointed to set-pieces and communication problems in the stadium's noise.
Liverpool's perfect Champions League start ended after they held each lead for just four minutes before Fenerbahçe completed the turnaround late on. The match left Liverpool with a lingering sense of frustration after they failed to see the game out in a hostile environment, with Iraola saying, "It's frustration because it's a difficult place to come and play."
Istanbul's set-piece swing
Fenerbahçe's three goals came from set-pieces, and the BBC reported that Mason Greenwood benefited from a free-kick deflection off Jeremy Jacquet for the first equaliser. Cody Gakpo's header took the ball past Alisson and gave Archie Brown a tap-in to make it 2-2, before Muriqi beat three players in red and headed past Alisson to complete the turnaround. Iraola told Sky Sports in his post-match press conference that "The free-kick is quite far out, through the wall," and he added that the last goal came from "a long throw."
Dirk Kuyt, the interim boss leading Fenerbahçe, said, "We made a miracle tonight - not many expected us to win," after Liverpool's late capitulation. The Liverpool Offside said Liverpool were the better side up until Trey Nyoni scored, and it described the period after Alexander Isak's introduction as a brief window before the hosts seized control again.
What comes next for Liverpool
Liverpool's defeat meant they failed to maintain a perfect start in Europe, and the BBC said that after winning five games in a row, Iraola's side had gone on to lose twice in four days. Liverpool had created unwanted history by becoming the latest team to go ahead in a major European game and then be beaten, and the result was framed as a step back after progress against Arsenal. The result left Liverpool halfway through their eight league phase games, and it described the match as a halt to their Champions League momentum.
The Liverpool Offside said the 19-year-old Trey Nyoni started his third game in a row for the Reds and became the Reds' second-youngest Champions League goalscorer, but it also said the game had a stale feeling for Liverpool fans. Iraola said, "We have to do better," as he argued that Liverpool had conceded almost straight away after going in front twice.
