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Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce failed to break the deadlock in their away clash against Czech side Viktoria Plzen in UEFA Europa League Week 4, settling for a 0-0 draw and earning 1 point.
The match, hosted at Mesta Stadium, saw Fenerbahce go head-to-head with Viktoria Plzen; however, they failed to find the back of the net.
Fenerbahce had a slow start to the match, struggling to create attacking chances in the first half compared to their opponent. The Turkish side allowed Viktoria Plzen a few opportunities to score but managed to prevent the home side from breaking the deadlock.
In the 40th minute, Fenerbahce came close to taking the lead through Youssef En-Nesyri, but the Moroccan forward was unable to convert a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper.
Fenerbahce's second-half performance mirrored the first, with little improvement in their attacking play. In response, head coach Domenico Tedesco made three substitutions in the 60th minute, hoping to inject more energy into his side. En-Nesyri was replaced by Jhon Duran, Ismail Yuksek made way for Fred, and Oguz Aydin was substituted for Marco Asensio.
Overall, despite Fenerbahce dominating possession with 60%, the team struggled to capitalize on the chances they created, registering 10 shots with 4 on target, compared to Viktoria Plzen's 18 shots, 6 of which were on target. Fenerbahce also slightly outperformed Plzen in terms of expected goals (xG), with a value of 1.27 compared to Plzen's 1.03. Additionally, Fenerbahce missed 3 clear goal-scoring opportunities, while Plzen missed just 1.
After the match, Fenerbahce's head coach Domenico Tedesco acknowledged missed chances but praised the team's defensive improvements. He emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on upcoming matches, stating, "In the end, we must accept this result. We are returning with one point; we could have won, but we could have also lost," and highlighted the development of players like Jhon Duran, while managing player fatigue and suspensions.
Fenerbahce's next match in the tournament will be against Hungarian side Ferencvaros at home on November 27. Two key players in the lineup, midfielder Ismail Yuksek and center-back Jayden Oosterwolde, both of whom received yellow cards in the match, will miss the next group-stage game due to suspensions.
In other matches, Spanish side Real Betis defeated French team Olympique Lyon 2-0, while Italian club Bologna played out a 0-0 draw with Norwegian side Brann. Belgian side Genk triumphed 4-3 over Portuguese club Braga in a thrilling encounter. Hungarian team Ferencvaros won 3-1 against Bulgarian side Ludogorets, while Greek club PAOK delivered a dominant 4-0 victory over Swiss team Young Boys. German side Stuttgart secured a 2-0 win over Dutch club Feyenoord.
Italian side Roma secured a 2-0 victory against Scottish Rangers, with Turkish international Zeki Celik playing 73 minutes. Danish team Midtjylland, having won all four of their group-stage matches, lead the table with 12 points after the first four rounds.
Fenerbahce sits in 15th place in their Europa League group with 7 points, while Viktoria Plzen remains in 8th place with 8 points.
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