Fenerbahçe SK produced a dominant performance to open their UEFA Champions League Group G campaign with a well-earned win against FC Internazionale Milano.
Brazilian stars
Key to the game were the performances of Alex and Deivid, whose acrobatic shot just before the break followed good work from his fellow Brazilian and proved decisive. Inter may have been depleted at the back but Fenerbahçe's performance could well have been enough to overcome the full strength Italian title-holders.
Inter pressed back
Self-confessed underdogs Fenerbahçe may have been but they were keen to test a reshuffled Inter defence in which Colombian summer signing Nelson Rivas made his debut due to the absence of the suspended Nicolás Burdisso, Maicon and Iván Córdoba and injured duo Marco Materazzi and Cristian Chivu. Júlio César made an important early save to tip over Mehmet Aurélio's header from an Alex cross and Mateja Kežman only just failed to connect with an incisive ball by Deivid.
Stinging shot
Inter were not without their dangerous moments and Önder Turacı had to be very alert to intercept as David Suazo cut back from the byline with the looming Zlatan Ibrahimović waiting to pounce. Still Fenerbahçe were in positive mood and Gökçek Vederson, starting on the left for the injured Tümer Metin, let fly from distance while Alex and Deivid thrived in free roles behind Kežman. Each of that Brazilian pair had good chances, Deivid in particular testing Júlio César with a stinging shot.
Home threat
Volkan Demirel did have some work to do in the home goal though as he dived to get in the way of Suazo's effort following a quick team move. But there was no doubt that Fenerbahçe's breakthrough just before the break was deserved as Alex tricked his way to the byline to the right of goal and his looped cross was superbly volleyed in with ferocity by Deivid.
Fierce drives
Fenerbahçe defender Roberto Carlos was putting in a solid performance against his old club and early in the second half applied his trusty left foot to a free-kick that Júlio César scrambled away. Alex and Kežman then set up the left-back inside the box and the strength of Roberto Carlos' shot was shown by how far the ball deflected back off the post.
Figo arrives
His former Real Madrid CF team-mate Luís Figo was brought on for Inter and immediately delivered a free-kick that had the Turkish champions worried. Fenerbahçe still pressed, however, and Edu so nearly turned in a curling Alex set-piece. Although Júlio César did not have to save that effort, he did brilliantly to keep out Alex's diving header.
Confidence flowing
So confident were Zico's side at this point that they seemed to switch almost to a more attacking formation with Roberto Carlos operating as a winger. Alex, yet again, came close to setting up a second goal as yet another free-kick was headed over the bar by Lugano but the home side had already done enough for a welcome, if unexpected, three points.
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