Two up top

96-manager Tayfun Korkut opted to play both Diouf and Rudnevs up front in a 4-4-2 system against his former club. The strikers were supported on the wings by Schlaudraff and Huszti, with Schmiedebach and Stindl making up the centre of midfield. Marcelo and Hoffmann formed the centre-back pairing, with Cherundolo and Schulz at full back. Ron-Robert Zieler stood between the posts.

Link-up play at its finest

The Reds looked to put the coaching staff’s ideas into practice, although it took them a few minutes to find their feet – Emenike and Sow had Fenerbahçe’s best chances in the early minutes, but 96 soon started to take the initiative. Hannover’s attacks were being well orchestrated from their own half and the strike partnership was offering moments of danger. Rudnevs in particular was cropping up in promising situations but failed to test goalkeeper Volkan with a shot just wide of the post in the 12th minute. The Turkish side weren’t without a threat of their own, but it was the Reds who looked closest to scoring. Schlaudraff emerged alone in front of goal after 23 minutes, but his shot on the turn was well dealt with by the lightning-quick Volkan. When the Reds did go in front four minutes later, it was that man Mame Diouf who provided the goal. A Huszti free kick from 20 yards bounced back off the crossbar and the Senegalese striker reacted quickest to nod home the rebound. 96 missed the chance to extend their lead shortly before half time, as Diouf and Huszti got in each other’s way and the chance went begging. The first half also suffered from a short break after pyrotechnics were thrown onto the pitch.

Fenerbahçe fight back

Hannover also had a great chance to double their advantage early in the second half, but neither Rudnevs nor Hoffmann could find the back of the net. Rudnevs came close again around the hour mark but couldn’t quite get on the end of Schlaudraff’s cross. It was to be the last of 96’s major chances as Fenerbahçe started to turn the tide. Caner was the first to try his luck, but his shot just went beyond the left-hand post. He then looked to turn provider with a perfect cross that substitute Pierre Webo turned in with a diving header to level the scores. Korkut reacted and introduced Bittencourt for Diouf and switched to a 4-2-3-1. Nevertheless, Fenerbahçe continued to control the closing stages and could have gone in front via Emenike on two occasions. In the end, it was a moment of bad luck that cost the Reds a draw, when Stevie Cherundolo was penalised for handball in the penalty area in added time. Former Liverpool man Dirk Kuyt stepped up to despatch from 12 yards and earn his side a 2-1 victory.

“More positives than negatives”

“That’s football,” summed up Tayfun Korkut. “Matches last 90 minutes and then a little bit more. We have to accept that.” The 96-manager wasn’t unhappy, however, but rather the opposite. “It was very promising how we played out from the back,” he noted and felt that there were “more positives than negatives. Sometimes the final pass was missing and their equaliser also came out of nothing. That had a psychological effect that makes you want to defend the draw,” said Korkut, hoping his players had reacted a little more courageously. However, Fenerbahçe came back with a “great deal of momentum”. Regardless of what happened in the final seconds, Korkut is proud of his side: “They were a team on the pitch. That’s something we can build upon.”

Fenerbahçe: Volkan Demirel, Gökhan Gönül (46’ Mehmet Topuz), Alves (67’ Kadlec), Egemen Korkmaz (46’ Yobo), Caner Erkin - Cristian (46’ Holmen), Mehmet Topal, Alper Potuk (46’ Hasan Ali Kaldırım) - Kuyt, Sow (46’ Webo), Emenike

Hannover 96: Zieler - Cherundolo, Marcelo, Hoffmann, Schulz - Stindl, Schmiedebach, Schlaudraff (86’ Prib), Huszti - Diouf (63’ Bittencourt), Rudnevs

Goals: 0-1 Diouf (27’), 1-1 Webo (63’), 2-1 Kuyt (90+2 pen.)  
Yellow cards: Stindl, Cherundolo
Attendance: approx. 5,000