Özil forced the ball over the line following a goalmouth scramble to give the Turkish outfit an early lead, but Lammers restored parity four minutes before the break with his first goal for Eintracht. After Trapp thwarted Pelkas from the spot, Mergim Berisha thought he had earned Fenerbahce all three points after converting the rebound, but the video assistant referee came to the Eagles’ rescue.
Kostic starts
Eintracht’s starting XI included four changes to the team that drew 1-1 with VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga last weekend. Christopher Lenz suffered a muscle injury against Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side, so he was replaced by Danny da Costa. Filip Kostic, who came off the bench to score the opener against VfB, was also restored to the starting line-up alongside Kristijan Jakic and Rafael Borré, with Ajdin Hrustic, Jens Petter Hauge and Jesper Lindström dropping to the bench.
Özil strikes first
Trapp was the busiest player on the pitch in the opening minutes of the match, pulling off two fine saves to prevent Fenerbahce from going in front. The Eintracht keeper was able to gather Diego Rossi’s low effort at the second attempt, before denying Bright Osayi-Samuel with an outstretched leg. The linesman’s flag then initially appeared to come to Eintracht’s rescue after ten minutes when Özil’s close-range finish was ruled out for offside, but the goal was given following a VAR review.
Eintracht went within a whisker of restoring parity midway through the half. Kostic’s cross from the left was fired back across goal by Borré, who managed to pick out Djibril Sow inside the penalty area. The Swiss midfielder’s first shot struck a Fenerbahce defender, then his second attempt was only kept out by an excellent save from goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. The visitors looked set to take a narrow lead into half-time, but Lammers finished off a flowing counter-attack involving Jakic and Kostic to pull Eintracht level.
Eagles survive late drama
Lammers thought he had given SGE the lead on the hour mark, but the Dutchman’s goal was ruled out for offside against Daichi Kamada. The Turkish side continued to threaten though and Enner Valencia almost seized on a risky Da Costa back pass moments later, only for Trapp to rush off his line to clear the danger.
Eintracht looked the more likely winners in the closing stages of the game. Kostic fired straight at Bayindir after latching on to Sow’s diagonal ball, with Kim Yeon-koung blocking the Serb’s follow-up. After surviving late Eintracht pressure, the visitors were given a golden opportunity to snatch a dramatic victory when Trapp brought down Pelkas inside the area. Berisha was on hand to convert the rebound after Trapp had saved Pelkas’ penalty, but VAR ruled that the forward had entered the box before the kick was taken and disallowed the goal.
Summary: A valuable point?
A draw was a fair result based on the balance of play, although Fenerbahce will be disappointed not to have claimed all three points after missing from the spot late on. Victory at Royal Antwerp in a fortnight’s time would leave the Eagles in a strong position in Group D.
SGE line-up
Trapp – Da Costa, Hinteregger, Ndicka, Durm – Sow, Jakic – Borré (Hauge 72’), Kamada, Kostic – Lammers
Goals
0-1 Özil (10’)
1-1 Lammers (41’)
